Fire and life safety inspection and enforcement is a key activity that contributes to community risk reduction. Fire departments in the United States utilize a range of data sources to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their inspection and enforcement programs. Depending on the resources available, this data is increasingly being collected, analyzed, and utilized for implementing important community risk mitigation strategies. Today, there is a broad range in the sophistication of data-based information tools, and the level of their implementation varies widely from jurisdiction to jurisdiction.
On November 19, 2015, the Research Foundation facilitated a one day workshop to bring together representatives from selected fire departments across the country who are engaged in this activity and who utilize a range of technologies and tools to accomplish it. The goal of the workshop was to provide a platform to share information on electronic tools and strategies and identify best practices and gaps. The workshop agenda consisted of presentations from representatives from 15 North American jurisdictions of various size, providing a synopsis of innovative uses of data to enhance their fire prevention programs with a focus on inspection and community risk reduction. The final workshop session was a series of small group discussions of community needs and challenges and recommended actions to address those needs, including suggestions for NFPA.
Download the proceedings. (PDF, 12 MB)