Topical Fire Report Series Volume 7, Issue 3 / December 2007

Fire Department Fire Run Profile

These short topical reports are designed to 

explore facets of the U.S. fire problem as 

depicted through data collected in USFA’s 

National Fire Incident Reporting System 

(NFIRS). Each topical report briefly addresses 

the nature of the specific fire or fire-related 

topic, highlights important findings from 

the data, and may suggest other resources 

to consider for further information.

Findings:

■ In 2004, U.S. fire departments ran an estimated 1,847,300 fire runs in 

response to 1,550,500 incidents.

■ The largest proportion (42%) of fire department fire runs were to incidents 

involving structures.

■ Fifty-three percent of fire runs occur during the winter and spring seasons.

■ Fire department runs peak between the hours of 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Fire departments provide an invaluable service to our communities nationwide by responding to fire incidents in 

structures, outside areas, vehicles, and other areas. In 2004, 

the estimated 1,550,500 fire incidents required an estimated 

1,847,300 fire department runs.1,2,3 This topical report profiles 

these fire department fire runs as reflected in the National 

Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) 2004 data.

Overview of Fire Department Fire Runs

While outside fires and structure fires each comprise 

approximately 38% of all fires4

, fire departments respond 

more frequently to structure fires, as shown in Figure 1. 

Fire departments respond to fire incidents every day, at all 

times of the day. The demand for fire department fire-related 

services is at its lowest in the early morning, gradually 

increases until peak demand is reached in the late afternoon 

(3 p.m. to 5 p.m.), and slowly tapers off through the evening and night (Figure 2).

The volume of fire runs varies through the year. In 2004, 

the peak run volume occurred during March and April, due 

to the increase of outdoor fires, as shown in Figure 3 and 

Figure 7. Longer days and warmer temperatures, which can 

result in drier vegetation and increased outdoor activity, 

Figure 1. Fire Department Fire Runs by General Incident Type

(percent of runs, 2004)

continued on next page

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data 

U.S. Department of Homeland Security • U.S. Fire Administration

National Fire Data Center • Emmitsburg, Maryland 21727

www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/reports/index.shtm
TFRS Volume 7, Issue 3 / Fire Department Fire Run Profile Page 2

Figure 2. Fire Department Fire Runs by Alarm Time

(percent of runs, 2004)

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data

Figure 3. Fire Department Fire Runs by Month

(percent of runs, 2004)

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data 

factor into this increase in outdoor fires.5 The increase in 

July fire runs is a result of July 4th incidents (primarily 

fireworks-related)6

. December and January increases are 

primarily a result of increases in heating-related fires in 

buildings.

The monthly trends shown in Figure 3 result in more winter fire runs – 27% of fire department fire runs take place 

during the months of January through March (Figure 4). 

Spring fire runs are a close second with 26% of fire department fire runs. Fall has the fewest fire runs.7

Structure Fire Runs

Structures include buildings such as residences, hotels 

and motels, commercial and office buildings, schools, and 

manufacturing facilities as well as nonbuildings (bridges, 

towers, and the like). Nearly all (95%) of fire department 

fire runs to structure fires are to buildings. The leading 

property use for structure fire runs is residential structures 

(62%). Fire departments respond to more structure fires 

in December and January, with peak demand occurring in 

continued on next page
TFRS Volume 7, Issue 3 / Fire Department Fire Run Profile Page 3

Figure 4. Fire Department Fire Runs by Season

(percent of runs, 2004)

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data 

Figure 5. Fire Department Structure Fire Runs by Month

(percent of runs, 2004)

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data 

January, as shown in Figure 5. Overall, the winter months 

have the largest proportion of fire department structure 

fire runs (29%). Fall is a close second (26%). Holiday fires 

and heating play a large role in the prevalence of structure 

fire runs in the fall and winter8

. The highest percentage of 

structure fires occur in the late afternoon between 5 p.m. 

and 7 p.m., as shown in Figure 6.

Outside Fire Runs

Outside fire runs include runs to vegetation incidents 

(grass, tree, brush, crops, and the like), rubbish and trash, 

and miscellaneous outside incidents such as outside storage. 

The leading incident types for outside fire runs are brush 

fires (23%), followed by outside trash or rubbish (20%), 

and grass fire incidents (18%).

Outdoor fire runs occur most often in March (13%), April 

(14%), and July (10%), as shown in Figure 7. The MarchApril increases reflect the weather and activity changes previously noted. The large spike in July fire runs occurs around 

July 4.9

 Fire department runs to outside fires occur mostly 

during the early afternoon hours, with a peak between the 

hours of 2 p.m. and 4 p.m., as shown in Figure 8.

Vehicle Fire Runs

Vehicle fire runs are relatively constant throughout the 

year, with slightly higher percentages in the month of July 

(Figure 9). The highest percentage of vehicle fires takes 

place between the hours of 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., as shown in 

Figure 10. 
TFRS Volume 7, Issue 3 / Fire Department Fire Run Profile Page 4

Figure 6. Fire Department Structure Fire Runs by Alarm Time

(percent of runs, 2004)

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data 

Figure 7. Fire Department Outside Fire Runs by Month

(percent of runs, 2004)

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data 
TFRS Volume 7, Issue 3 / Fire Department Fire Run Profile Page 5

Figure 8. Fire Department Outside Fire Runs by Alarm Time

(percent of runs, 2004)

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data 

Figure 9. Fire Department Vehicle Fire Runs by Month

(percent of runs, 2004)

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data 
TFRS Volume 7, Issue 3 / Fire Department Fire Run Profile Page 6

Figure 10. Fire Department Vehicle Fire Runs by Alarm Time

(percent of runs, 2004)

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data 

Aid

Aid offers additional resources to fire departments for largescale or specialized incidents or when response time to an 

incident is faster by another jurisdiction. Aid is either given 

or received, either automatically or mutually, for a specific 

incident. Automatic aid involves prearranged agreements 

according to hazard conditions, jurisdictions, or incidents requiring special equipment. Mutual aid generally is 

requested on a reactive basis as resources are depleted at the 

incident. 

Informal and formal aid relationships vary, depending on 

the location or the type of the incident. Innovative aid 

relationships, which focus on improving the allocation of 

resources and response times, continue to augment the 

advancement of fire department services. About one-quarter 

(26%) of fire department fire runs involve giving or receiving aid, either mutual or automatic.

Small rural areas generally follow informal agreements, 

where it is understood that large-scale incidents will 

require all available resources from several community 

fire departments, and that each department sustains its 

own resources when providing aid. However, informal 

relationships in rural areas are giving way to more formal 

automatic relationships between jurisdictions as rural areas 

experience huge growth and do not have the resources 

to meet the fire demands that increasingly point toward 

“metropolitan risk” levels.10

Formal aid relationships provide better access to resources. 

Many local jurisdictions and States maintain exemplary aid 

systems. The key issues facing aid agreements deal with liability and reimbursement. Resolving these issues results in 

better fire services. The Emergency Management Assistance 

Compact (EMAC) and Urban Search-and-Rescue (USAR) 

teams have greatly improved the ability to overcome these 

issues and move resources from State to State. A national aid 

and resource system initiative is in development to manage 

greater threats facing the United States, including terrorism 

and natural disasters.11

Types of Aid

While about three quarters (74%) of fire department fire 

runs are not aid-related, the level of aid runs varies with 

the type of incident. Structure fire incidents involve aid 

runs more often than other types of fires (Table 1). A more 

detailed analysis of aid relationships and resulting runs is 

necessary to draw definitive conclusions on the use and 

frequency of aid.

Table 1. Fire Department Fire Runs by 

General Type of Aid

(percent of incidents, 2004)

Incident Type

Aid

No Aid Total Aid 

Received

Aid

Given Total

Structure 14.4% 24.4% 38.8% 61.2% 100.0%

Outside 6.5% 10.0% 16.5% 83.5% 100.0%

Vehicle 5.6% 7.5% 13.1% 86.9% 100.0%

Other 8.1% 18.5% 26.6% 73.4% 100.0%

OVERALL 9.8% 16.1% 25.9% 74.1% 100.0%

Source: 2004 NFIRS 5.0 data 

Note: Totals may not add due to rounding
TFRS Volume 7, Issue 3 / Fire Department Fire Run Profile Page 7

Conclusion

Fires occur at any time and anywhere. Fire departments 

respond to these fires every hour of the day, each day of 

the year. Structure fires require more runs from fire departments than other types of fires. Outside fire runs are a close 

second. 

Some emergencies exceed local area resources and require 

aid from other jurisdictions. Formalized aid agreements 

help manage resource and fire service demand. 

To request additional information or to comment on this report, visit 

http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/applications/feedback/

Notes

1 “Runs” and “responses” have different meanings for different fire 

departments. As NFIRS incident data reflect summary data from 

individual fire departments (not from individual fire stations in 

a fire department), a “run” as used in this topical report means 

the fire department’s collective response to an incident. As some 

incidents exceed local area resources and require aid from other 

jurisdictions, the number of fire department runs to incidents will 

be larger than the number of incidents themselves.

The estimate of the number of fire runs made to fire incidents in 

2004 is determined by applying the NFIRS ratio ((fire incidents 

+ fire aid incidents)/fire incidents) to the 2004 NFPA estimate of 

fire incidents. For 2004, this ratio was approximately 1.19 or 19% 

more runs than incidents.

2NFIRS 5.0 contains both converted NFIRS 4.1 data and native 

NFIRS 5.0 data. This topical report includes only native 5.0 data. 

Incident type 110 (structure fire, other) is not included in this 

analysis as it is a “conversion only” code. That is, incident type 

110 is technically a version 4.1 incident and, as such, is not 

included in this analysis. Aid runs, usually excluded in incidentbased analyses, are included in the data for this report.

3National estimates are based on 2004 native version 5.0 data 

from the NFIRS and national fire loss estimates from the National 

Fire Protection Association’s (NFPA) annual survey of fire loss. 

Fires are rounded to the nearest 100.

4U.S. Fire Administration, Fire in the United States 1995-2004, Fourteenth 

Edition, pp. 39-40.

5U.S. Fire Administration, The Seasonal Nature of Fires, FA-236, January 

2005.

6 Ibid.

7 For ease of analysis, the seasons are defined as Winter—January 

through March; Spring—April through June; Summer—July 

through September; Fall—October through December.

8U.S. Fire Administration, The Seasonal Nature of Fires, FA-236, January 

2005.

9 Ibid.

10Discussions with Mr. Patrick Simpson, former Fire Chief and 

current Sr. Analyst at the TriData Division of System Planning 

Corporation.

11 FEMA, “National Mutual Aid and Resource Management 

Initiative Frequently Asked Questions,” http://www.scd.state.hi.us/

NIMS/FAQ_6_09_04.doc