Does my state participate in the National Fire Incident Reporting System?
Contact your State NFIRS Program Manager for information when NFIRS will be adopted in your state or to find out if your state is currently participating.

Can my department use the USFA NFIRS 5.0 software to report to the National Fire Incident Reporting System?
Contact your State NFIRS Program Manager to find out if your state is particpating in the NFIRS and if your state level agency supports the use of the USFA NFIRS 5.0 software at the department level.

Who is my State NFIRS Program Manager?
Contact the National Fire Information Council member for your state.
NFIC Members Contact Information.

Where can I register for the USFA NFIRS Software?
Registration is offered through the NFIRS 5.0 web site. Users are granted access only if their state has agreed to be a participant in the NFIRS program. To find out if your state is participating, please contact your State NFIRS Program Manager.

Is the USFA NFIRS 5.0 software free?
The USFA will make the software available at no cost to the state level agencies responsible for incident reporting on their request. If those agencies so choose, they may use and support it in their state.

Can I use vendor software to send Fire Department and incident data to the National Database?
Files from vendor software will be recognized by the National Database if the vendor has registered their software after development and testing in accordance with USFA specifications. The USFA maintains a list of vendors with Active status. Contact your State Program Manager for more information before using vendor software.

Is the use of NFIRS 5.0 mandatory?
NFIRS 5.0 is offered to all US States and territories in partnership to develop a more usable database of fire statistics. Each State-level Fire Administrator has been invited to participate in NFIRS 5.0, although participation is not mandatory by Federal statutes.

System Requirements:

Is Internet access required?
NFIRS 5.0 was designed to use the Internet to exchange and share data in a consolidated National database. Local, Metro, and State members of the fire community will file their reports into NFIRS National database over the Internet. Each time a user logs onto the National database, a check is made to ensure the user has the latest software version which includes bug fixes and enhancements.

What are the System Requirements in order to use NFIRS?

What is Microsoft Access 97 (or Access 2000, Access 2002 FoxPro 6.0, MS SQL Server 7.0 or 2000)?
These are database programs. The NFIRS 5.0 application can use one of these programs as the database engine to manage and store the data entered in the Off-Line mode. If the user wishes to work in the Off-Line mode, one of the programs must be installed on the PC. Access 97 and Access 2000 are used most often as the Off-line database engine.

The database program must be installed prior to installing NFIRS 5.0 application. The Data Entry Validation Tool Guide and the Readme.txt provide complete details.

I do not have Access 97, Access 2000, Access 2002, FoxPro 6.0, MS SQL Server 7.0, or MS SQL Server 2000 on my computer.
During the installation of the NFIRS 5.0 software, the user must specify Custom Install. Refer to slides 24 and 25 of Chapter 1 in the Tutorial. http://www.nfirs.fema.gov/tutorial.shtm

Can I install NFIRS 5.2.3 on a PC that has Windows ME ?
At this time, ME is not supported.

Registration, Download, and PC Configuration:

Registration failed. The message error was: Error: Failed to Register User 9999.
The username you are trying to register is already taken. Try to register again using a different username or a variation of the name.

What do I do if I forget my password?
Contact your State Administrator.

How often do I have to change my password?
The User will be prompted to change their password every ninety days.

Passwords can be changed prior to the 90 days. Select Change Password under the Advanced tab in the Data Entry Tool.

How long does it take to download the NFIRS 5.0 software?
Download time depends on the user's connection to the interent and the amount of traffic on the internet.

Users have the option of downloading the NFIRS software from 1 large file or download 4 smaller files. Downloading the 4 smaller files may increase a successful download and avoid interruption of their Internet connection.

How do I know if I am using the most current version of the USFA NFIRS 5.0 software?
Contact the NFIRS Support Center who can assist in identiying if the version of the USFA software on the PC is the most current.

The 5.0 in NFIRS 5.0 is a system number, which is followed by the Software Version number, for example: Version 5.0 Version 5.2.3. The Program File folder in the root directory will reflect the software version number, for example: NFIRSv523.

What is the difference between Off-Line and On-Line?
Off-Line means the user is entering their incidents data into a Microsoft Access 97 database.

On-Line means the user enters the incident data directly into the National database while connected to the internet.

How do I change from Off-line to On-line?
Open the Configuration Tool and click on the Advanced Tab. Check the box for On-Line database. Click Save...OK...Exit. See Configuration Tool User's Guide for more information.

I cannot login Off-Line. I keep receiving User Not Found...Please Reenter message.
The user must complete a User Injection and Remote Synchronization before being able to login Off-Line. Refer to Section 4.2.1 of the Data Entry Validation Tool Guide for instructions, or to Section 3, Off-line Database Setup, for complete details.

Data Entry and Reporting:

I am a registered user with an active password. After successfully downloading and installing NFIRS, I was denied access to the Data Entry Tool On-Line.
The Configuration defaults to Off-Line Access when the software is installed.

Open the Configuration Tool and click on the Advanced tab. Check the On-Line Access box, click Save. Close the Configuration Tool.

When you restart the Data Entry Tool, the login window for On-Line will be displayed. Section 2.3 in the Data Entry/Validation Tool User's Guide provides complete information.

When I enter the Data Entry Tool, my FDID Number is correct but it says FDID not found.
The name of your department has not been entered in the system. Click on Fire Dept from the Menu bar and click on New Department. Here you will enter the Fire Department's Name and information. Click OK and the department information will be saved and the department name will be displayed.

Can I enter my incidents Off-Line and then send them periodically to the National Database?
Yes.

How do I send my incidents to the National database?
The User uses the Import/Export Tool which is located under the Tools tab in the Data Entry Tool. See Section 5.1 of the Data Entry/Validation Tool Guide for full details.

How can I tell if the incidents were sent successfully?
Users may verify their incident data was sent successfully by logging in On-Line to the National database. Click on Incident from the Menu bar and then Open Incident. The Incident Search window will be displayed. Click on Search to search all incidents or narrow the search criteria by entering specific search requirements.

Is the Data Entry/Validation Tool case sensitive?
The Data Entry/Validation Tool is not case sensitive.

What do the yellow fields represent?
These are fields defined as National required fields. These fields must be completed in order for the incident to pass validation.

Is the System Administration Tool limited to the State and Federal levels, or is this something used at the Department level?
The State NFIRS Program Managers from each state may assign if they choose System Administration privileges to a person(s) who would help in administration within the state or a group. The installation of the software is the same for both System Administrators and Department users. System Administration rights are given by permissions which are accessed by the System Administration Tool.

As a Local department, do I send data through the state or should it be sent directly to the National server?
You will need to contact your State NFIRS Program Manager to determine where your data should be sent.

How far back should we go when reporting changes and deletes?
Check with your State Program Manager for your state's policy on reporting changes and deletes. The USFA does not impose a limit, but some states do.

If a call is cancelled en route, what Incident Type should I enter?
Incident Type 611, "Dispatched and cancelled en route." An Actions Taken code of 93, cancelled en route, is available.

If you have questions about an individual incident and which codes to use to accurately report it, contact the NFIRS Support Center or your State Program Manager.

Can I print a copy of an incident?
Yes, a Forms Based Incident Report (FBIR) can be generated and printed, one incident at a time, in either the On-line or Off-line mode. Refer to Section 4.2.5 of the Data Entry Tool Users' Guide for the complete instructions.

Can a Forms Based Incident Report be generated if the incident is Invalid (I) or No Activity (N) status?
Yes, an FBIR can be generated if the incident is Invalid or No Activity status. An FBIR cannot be generated, however, if an invalid code exists in the incident. If an invalid code exists in the incident, it will be noted in the Validation Errors and Warnings message window upon saving the incident.

About Vendors:

How can I tell if a Vendor's software is certified with the USFA?
The USFA no longer certifies vendor software. Vendors develop their product according to the specifications to be compatible with the national NFIRS 5.0 standard. Vendors notify the USFA when their product development has completed. The USFA then places the vendor on the Active Vendors List.

The NFIRS 5.0 Documentation is available for download from the NFIRS website. Go to NFIRS User's Login Page, and after successful login, click on the link for Download Documentation. The documentation provides the user complete instructions on how to use the NFIRS 5.0 software.