Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting System (PennFIRS)

PennFIRS, the Pennsylvania Fire Information Reporting System, is the state system that fire departments use to report and manage the flow of incidents into the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).

OSFC reports all incidents to the United States Fire Administration’s National Fire Data Center. PennFIRS also has the potential for reviewing and analyzing Pennsylvania’s fire situation.

The Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 authorized the United States Fire Administration’s (USFA) National Fire Data Center to gather and analyze information on the magnitude of the Nation's fire problem, as well as its detailed characteristics and trends. The Act authorized the USFA to develop uniform data reporting methods, and to assist state agencies in developing and reporting data. The National Fire Data Center established NFIRS to carry out the intentions of the Act.

PennFIRS Online: NFIRS Software

NFIRS reporting is done electronically, so the USFA has developed a standard NFIRS package that includes incident and casualty forms and a coding structure consistent with the National Fire Protection Association Standard 901, Uniform Coding for Fire Protection. NFIRS 5.0 expands the collection of data beyond fires to include the full range of fire department activity on a national scale. It is a true all-incident reporting system.

Fire departments can use any NFIRS 5.0 compliant software to submit their reports. Beginning July 1, 2015, the Office of State Fire Commissioner will make available a new product, Emergency Reporting (www.emergencyreporting.com) that our office calls PennFIRS Online. Emergency Reporting will provide to each department a free PennFIRS package (including maintenance agreements) to any fire department in the state wishing to participate. PennFIRS On-Line meets all the basic National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS 5.0) criteria. All data entered by a fire company/department should be submitted to OSFC and in turn will be forwarded to NFIRS. Modules provided free of charge include the incident module, reports module, my profile module, library module and administration module. Additional modules may be purchased directly from Emergency Reporting.

• NOTE:  Effective July 1, 2015, current users of FH.Net (Firehouse Software) will be responsible for all costs associated with continued use of Firehouse products. For technical support, contact Firehouse Tech Support directly.

• NOTE:  OSFC no longer has the ability to help with questions/issues with Firehouse including resetting of passwords.  Any issues, please contact Firehouse Support directly at 1-800-921-5300 ext. 2.

Reporting Requirements

Online User Registration

To register for PennFIRS Online (Emergency Reporting), email Joseph Bynum at jbynum@pa.gov.

• County
• Fire Department Identification Number (FDID) (5-digit number only)
• Fire Department/Company Name
• Fire Department Street Address (No PO Box)
• Fire Department/Company Mailing Address
• Department Phone Number
• Contact Name
• Contact Phone Number
• Contact Email Address
• What incident software are you currently using

OSFC will verify your information and create your fire company/department account. Your designated contact will receive an email with instructions on how to set up a program and receive training. All submissions to this office will be verified prior to establishment of PennFIRS Online account activation.

Fire Department Identification Number (FDID)

To participate in NFIRS fire departments must have a fire department identification number (FDID). This is a five-digit number assigned to each department. In Pennsylvania, FDIDs are assigned by the state fire commissioner.

PA FDID’s are five-digit numbers consisting of a two-digit number for the county and a unique three-digit number assigned to the department by a county agency or association. This three digit number could be a company, station, zone, or district number.

Departments should always check with OSFC or your county EMA/911 agency before beginning to use an FDID. You can access a current list of FDID numbers (PDF) (updated Jan. 25, 2023).