By Dick Cook
Chattanooga Times Free Press
Copyright 2007 Chattanooga Publishing Company
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The number of fire departments submitting detailed reports to the State Fire Marshal’s office has reached record highs, and the state leads the country in the first quarter of this year in reporting incidents to a national fire database, officials said.
In five years there has been a 122 percent increase in incidents reported under the Tennessee Fire Incident Reporting System (TFIRS) and a 96 percent increase in the number of departments participating, according to the state.
“The TFIRS system is a critical tool that is invaluable to national, state and local fire services,” State Fire Marshal Leslie A. Newman said in a written statement late last week. “Knowing the cause and origin of fires is essential in developing effective fire prevention strategies. Prevention saves lives,” she said.
State fire officials said 492 of the state’s more than 700 departments have submitted reports to the National Fire Incident Reporting System. That’s more than any other state in the country, officials said.
A 1998-2002 study by the National Fire Prevention Association ranked Tennessee fourth in the nation in the rate of fire deaths during the period, records show.
In 2002, about 46 percent of the state’s fire department’s were filing TFIRS reports, officials said. The reports include fire cause and origin, extent of damage, fire deaths and injuries and whether a working smoke detector was in the burned structure, records show.
The fire marshal’s office took action by providing training on reporting, offering technical support and securing computers at a discounted price for fire departments that couldn’t afford them, said Dennis Mulder, TFIRS coordinator.
“Enforcement of TFIRS reporting is a top priority for the department and this administration,” Mr. Mulder said. “I’ve taken calls on weekends and in the middle of the night to assist departments.”
Jasper Fire Chief Paul West said work the fire marshal’s office has done to streamline the report has helped him keep current on TFIRS reporting.
“In the beginning, the program online was too picky and real specific,” Chief West said. “They’ve tweaked it and simplified it so it’s not so labor intensive.