By Marcy Ost
Community Risk Reduction is a process to identify and prioritize local risks, followed by the integrated strategic investment of resources to reduce their occurrence and impact. One of the most important words in that definition is “strategic.” We can’t be strategic without data. This month, we wanted to share our data timeline to help us evaluate where we are as a fire service in our great State.
In the 1980s, the United States Fire Administration began accepting fire reports that could be gathered in their computer database. In 1998, North Dakota had two reported fires that made it into the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). In 2019, fifty percent of fire departments reported incidents with approximately 2,000 fires and 20,000-30,000 incidents reported each year. In 2024, we reached the milestone of 90% of fire departments reporting with approximately 3,000 fires and 50,000 incidents reported each year in North Dakota. The State Fire Marshal’s Office plans to continue to increase this and is here to help fire departments with fire reporting and data collection.
This growing participation in fire reporting is more than just a number—it’s a sign that North Dakota’s fire service is moving toward a more data-informed, proactive approach to protecting our communities. Every incident report helps paint a clearer picture of the risks our communities face. The more complete our data, the better we can identify trends, allocate resources, and develop programs that truly address the needs of our residents.
For example, knowing where and when fires are most likely to occur helps us tailor public education campaigns, improve building inspections, and enhance firefighter training. It also ensures that we’re using taxpayer dollars wisely by investing in prevention strategies that make a measurable impact.
We’re proud of the progress we’ve made together, and we know there’s still work to do. As we continue to grow our capacity for data collection and analysis, we encourage all departments, large and small, to reach out if they need support. Whether it’s helping get started with reporting, troubleshooting challenges, or making sense of the data you’re collecting, the State Fire Marshal’s Office is here to assist.
Community Risk Reduction starts with good data. With 90% of departments now reporting, we’re closer than ever to seeing the full picture—and using that knowledge to build safer communities across North Dakota.
Check out our lunch and learn schedule found here, and if you want to catch up on past lunch and learns, the recordings can be found here.