U.S. Fire Administration

TOPICAL FIRE RESEARCH SERIES

Volume 1, Issue 19

May 2001 (Rev. December 2001)

Fire Station Fires

FINDINGS

S Fire station fires most often originate in fire departments’ vehicles

(44%); 37% of fires are structure fires.

S The leading cause of the approximately 150 fire station fires each year

is attributed to “electrical distribution,” although “cooking” is the leading

cause of structure fires.

S Electrical wire is the leading material igniited, most often due to short

circuits.

S Too often, fire stations have no damage insurance or are underinsured.

U.S. firefighters spend considerable time living and working in fire stations. Like

residential and commercial structures everywhere, fire stations are also susceptible to the

dangers of fire.

Between 1996 and 1998, an average of approximately 150 fires occur in fire stations

annually.

1 Although these fires represent a minuscule number of the total fires in the

United States, they still cause approximately $1.6 million in property loss, which does

not include the cost of replacing or repairing damaged equipment and apparatus. Further,

those fire departments affected by fire must find ways to rebuild while maintaining adequate levels of fire protection to their communities. No firefighter fatalities were reported

to NFIRS between 1996 and 1998.2

This report examines the causes and characteristics of fire in and immediately surrounding U.S. fire stations.

3
Dollar loss and firefighter casualties in fire station fires are compared with losses

from all non-residential structure fires in Figure 1. Structure fires on fire station properties cause more damage and are more injurious to firefighters than non-structure fires on

these properties (e.g., vehicles, brush).

Figure 1. Loss Measures for Fire Station Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

NON-RESIDENTIAL

STRUCTURE

FIRES

FIRE STATION

STRUCTURE

FIRES

ALL OTHER FIRE

MEASURE STATION FIRES

Dollar Loss/Fire

Firefighter Injuries/

1,000 Fires

Firefighter Fatalities/

1,000 Fires

$21,878

31.5

0.1

$9,863

29.4

0.0

$1,742

3.3

0.0

As shown in Figure 2, the leading cause of fires in fire stations is cooking, followed

by electrical distribution.4, 5 (Nationally, the leading cause of fire is arson.)

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Electrical Distribution

Cooking

Arson

Other Heat

Other Equipment

Appliances

Heating

Open Flame

Smoking

Natural

Exposure

Children Playing

Figure 2. Causes of Fire Station Fires

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996-98)

Adjusted Percent

All Fire Station Fires

Non-Structure Fires

Structure Fires Only
The leading materials ignited in fire station fires are shown in Figure 3. The predominance of fires involving electrical wire is consistent with the high incidence of electrical

distribution fires. The prominence of cooking materials and fuel are consistent with the

occurrence of cooking and vehicle fires.

Electrical Wire

Cooking Materials

Structural Member/

Framing

Fuel

26%

20%

7%

5%

Figure 3. Form of Material Ignited

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

STRUCTURE FIRES ONLY NON-STRUCTURE FIRES

40%

10%

10%

5%

Electrical Wire

Fuel

Trash/Rubbish

Growing, Living Form

Approximately 37% of fire station fires involve the station’s structure (as reported

by the first arriving fire department units or personnel). Nearly 44% of fire station fires

are actually vehicle fires on the station’s property, and 15% are refuse fires. Figure 4

shows the leading areas of fire origin for structure and non-structure fire station fires.

Kitchen

Garage, Vehicle Storage

heating Equipment Room

Laundry Room

29%

13%

10%

7%

Figure 4. Area of Fire Origin

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996–98)

STRUCTURE FIRES ONLY NON-STRUCTURE FIRES

45%

20%

7%

5%

Engine Area of Vehicle

Passenger Area of

Vehicle

Vehicle Trunk

Trash Area

Twenty percent of structure fires are ignited by an electrical short circuit, and 12%

begin after ignition materials are left unattended (Figure 5). For non-structure fires, short

circuits, part failures, and mechanical failures are the leading factors influencing fire

ignition.

Short Circuit

Unattended

Electrical Failure

Suspicious

20%

12%

10%

7%

Figure 5. Ignition Factor

(3-year average, NFIRS data 1996-98)

STRUCTURE FIRES ONLY NON-STRUCTURE FIRES

27%

13%

10%

8%

Short Circuit

Part Failure

Abandoned/Discarded

Electrical Failure

All too often, fire departments affected by fire are either uninsured or underinsured

for damage to their stations and equipment. For small volunteer departments, these losses
can be overwhelming. Even in larger departments or those with adequate insurance, fires

in and around fire stations disrupt fire protection services.

EXAMPLES

S In January 2001, a suspicious fire, possibly started to cover up a burglary in the

station, destroyed an East St. Louis fire station. While firefighters were busy fighting

small arson blazes throughout the community, several portable televisions and an

expensive camera were stolen from the fire station, which was then set ablaze.6

S In June 2000, a fire caused by a faulty electrical cord resulted in hundreds of

thousands of dollars in damage to a fire station in Colfax City, Washington. The

department saved the station’s living quarters, but the station’s apparatus bays were

heavily damaged. Three engines and two ambulances required replacement.

7

S In March 2000, faulty wiring nearly destroyed a West Virginia fire station. Only

the exterior walls and roof trusses were salvageable. The department lost an engine

in the blaze, which damaged another engine and a support vehicle.8

S In October 2001, a fire caused $100,000 in damage to a fire station in Pennsylvania. An engine parked in the apparatus bay was heavily damaged; a tanker parked

outside the station was not damaged. Police are investigating the possibility that the

fire was intentionally set to cover up a burglary.

9

NOTES

1. National estimates are based on data from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS)

(1996–1998) and the National Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA’s) annual survey, Fire Loss in the

United States.

2. Since firefighter deaths are rare and because this report represents statistical estimates based on a sample of fires, it is possible that the estimates reflect no deaths during a time period where a fatal fire

occurred.

3. This report addresses only those structures specifically coded in NFIRS as fire station property (FPU

888).

4. The percentages shown in this report have been adjusted to apportion the “unknowns” to the other

causes.

5. Electrical distribution is a broad cause category that may not accurately reflect a fire’s actual cause. In

some instances, it may be cited as the cause simply because all other potential causes (e.g., arson,

cooking) have been excluded.

6. Goodrich, Robert, “Fire Chief Thinks Blazes Were Set as Cover,” St. Louis Post-Dispatch, January 23,

2001.

7. Casey, Heather and Slepicka, Lon, “Eight Fire Departments Recover After Recent Station Blazes,”

Firehouse.com, July 25, 2000.

8. Ibid.

9. “Pennsylvania Department Takes a Fire Hit,: Firehouse.com, October 4, 2001.

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