This NFIRS codes cheat sheet pulls the code sets fire departments reach for most often when completing an incident report: Incident Type, Property Use, Aid Given or Received, Actions Taken, Cause of Ignition, Area of Origin, and casualty severity, along with the pairing rules that decide which additional modules a given code triggers. NFIRS stopped accepting new incident data on January 1, 2026, and all new reporting now flows through the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS), but the code structure below still governs how any 2025-or-earlier record reads and how the underlying reporting logic carries into NERIS.1USFA.FEMA.gov. NERIS Stakeholder Engagement: Community and Collaboration
Incident Type Codes (Section C)
The Incident Type is a three-digit code that describes what responders actually found on arrival, not what dispatch said was happening. The first digit sets the broad category, and the code you pick controls which additional modules the report demands.2U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). NFIRS Complete Reference Guide
- 100 — Fire. All fire incidents, from structure to vehicle to brush. This is the only series that triggers the Fire Module.
- 200 — Rupture/Explosion. Overpressure events with no follow-on fire.
- 300 — Rescue and EMS. Medical calls, vehicle accidents with injury, water rescues.
- 400 — Hazardous Condition (No Fire). Gas leaks, spills, downed power lines.
- 500 — Service Call. Lockouts, animal rescues, water problems, public assists.
- 600 — Good Intent. The situation was less severe than dispatched, or the call was canceled.
- 700 — False Alarm/False Call. Accidental activations, malicious alarms, system malfunctions.
- 800 — Severe Weather/Natural Disaster. Floods, earthquakes, tornadoes.
- 900 — Special Incident. Citizen complaints, standbys, and situations not covered elsewhere.
The specific codes reporters use most often:
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 111 | Building fire |
| 113 | Cooking fire, confined to container |
| 118 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained |
| 150 | Outside rubbish fire |
| 321 | EMS call (excluding vehicle accident with injury) |
| 412 | Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) |
| 611 | Canceled en route |
| 745 | Alarm system malfunction |
Which Modules Each Fire Code Triggers
Picking the wrong Incident Type doesn’t just misclassify the call; it triggers the wrong downstream modules and can cause the report to fail validation.3USFA.FEMA.gov. Structure Fire Module: NFIRS-3 The pairing rules inside the 100 series:
- Code 111 (Building fire). Fire Module and full Structure Fire Module.
- Code 112 (Special structure fire). Fire Module plus Section I of the Structure Fire Module only.
- Codes 113–118 (Confined fires). Basic Module only. No Fire Module, no Structure Fire Module.
- Codes 120–123 (Mobile property fires). Fire Module required; no Structure Fire Module.
- Codes 130–138 and 150–163 (Outside and brush fires). Fire Module or Wildland Fire Module, depending on the situation.
- Codes 140–143 and 170–173 (Vegetation and crop fires). Basic Module only.
The confined-fire exception is where reporters trip up most. A cooking fire that stays in the pot is 113 and needs only the Basic Module. Let it spread to the cabinets and it becomes a 111 building fire that requires two additional modules.
Property Use Codes (Section J)
Property Use identifies what the space is used for at the point the incident occurred, not the overall building function. That distinction matters in mixed-use buildings.4U.S. Fire Administration. Determining Property Use at the Incident Location
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 161 | Restaurant or cafeteria |
| 213 | Elementary school |
| 419 | One- or two-family dwelling |
| 429 | Multifamily dwelling (apartment, condo, townhome) |
| 599 | Business office |
| 962 | Residential street, road, or driveway |
A few coding conventions worth knowing: mobile homes used as fixed residences take 419, not a mobile-property code. Short-term rentals and vacation homes fall under 419 for single units and 429 for multi-unit properties.4U.S. Fire Administration. Determining Property Use at the Incident Location
Mixed-Use Buildings
When a building has two or more uses, complete both the Property Use code for where the incident occurred and the Mixed Use Property field in Section I for the building’s overall character. The two codes can differ, and often should. A fire in a hair salon in the basement of a single-family home takes Property Use 419 (dwelling) and Mixed Use 58 (business and residential). An EMS call in a restaurant inside an office building takes Property Use 161 (restaurant) and Mixed Use 59 (office use). Skipping the Mixed Use field loses the building’s overall risk profile in the national data.
Aid Given or Received (Section D)
Section D is required on every incident. “Another department” for aid purposes means one with a different Fire Department Identification (FDID) number; companies within the same department don’t count.5USFA.FEMA.gov. Aid Given or Received
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Mutual aid received (your department requested help) |
| 2 | Automatic aid received (dispatched simultaneously per prior agreement) |
| 3 | Mutual aid given (you responded to another department’s request) |
| 4 | Automatic aid given (you were auto-dispatched to assist per agreement) |
The reporting burden splits by which side of the aid you’re on. If you received aid (codes 1 or 2), you’re the primary department and complete the entire Basic Module plus all required additional modules. If you gave aid (codes 3 or 4), you complete only the Basic Module through Section G (Resources). One exception: if a firefighter from your department is injured or killed while giving aid, you also complete the casualty fields and the Fire Service Casualty Module. The primary department still handles the Fire, Structure Fire, and Civilian Casualty modules to prevent double-counting.5USFA.FEMA.gov. Aid Given or Received
Actions Taken Codes (Section F)
Section F records up to three actions the unit performed at the scene. The three slots must each hold a different code; duplicates trigger a critical validation error.2U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). NFIRS Complete Reference Guide
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 11 | Extinguishment by fire service personnel |
| 21 | Search for lost or missing person |
| 32 | Provide basic life support (BLS) |
| 51 | Ventilate |
| 78 | Control traffic |
| 86 | Investigate |
If the crew performed more than three distinct actions, pick the three most significant. For hazardous materials calls, general containment and mitigation are captured here (code 4 covers removing a hazard), while the HazMat Module carries the finer detail on decontamination and chemical identification.
Cause and Origin Codes (Fire Module)
When the Incident Type is in the 100 series and the Fire Module is required, several fields document how and where the fire started. Cause of Ignition classifies the broad reason:
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Intentional |
| 2 | Unintentional |
| 3 | Failure of equipment or heat source |
| 4 | Act of nature |
| 5 | Cause under investigation |
| U | Undetermined after investigation |
Coding a fire as intentional doesn’t automatically require the Arson Module; that module is optional but should be completed whenever the cause is intentional, under investigation, or undetermined after investigation, and for all juvenile-set fires regardless of intent.6OMB.report. NFIRS Module 11 – Arson and Juvenile Firesetter
Area of Origin pinpoints where within the property the fire started:
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 14 | Living room, den, or family room |
| 24 | Kitchen or cooking area |
| 33 | Bedroom |
| 74 | Attic or crawl space |
The Fire Module also carries a Heat Source field (what provided the ignition energy) and a Factor Contributing to Ignition field (the circumstance that let ignition happen, such as equipment left unattended or a heat source too close to combustibles).
Casualty Severity and Reporting Thresholds
Any incident with an injury or death triggers the casualty fields in Section H of the Basic Module, plus a separate Casualty Module for each person harmed. Civilian and firefighter casualties use different modules, and the reporting rules aren’t identical.7U.S. Fire Administration. Documenting Casualties on an NFIRS Report
Firefighter casualties are reported regardless of incident type. A firefighter who slips on ice at a false alarm call still gets a Fire Service Casualty Module. Civilian casualties are reported only when the incident is a fire (100 series). A civilian who trips at a gas-leak call does not generate a Civilian Fire Casualty Module.7U.S. Fire Administration. Documenting Casualties on an NFIRS Report
“Injury” has a specific threshold: the person needed treatment by a medical practitioner within one year of the incident, or the injury caused at least one day of restricted activity immediately afterward. A reported death includes anyone who dies within one year of being injured in the incident; for civilians, the death must be fire-related.
Every casualty carries a severity code:
| Code | Severity |
|---|---|
| 1 | Minor |
| 2 | Moderate |
| 3 | Severe |
| 4 | Life threatening |
| 5 | Death |
A separate Cause of Injury code identifies the mechanism: exposure to fire products (smoke, heat, toxic gases), falls, overexertion, structural collapse, and similar categories.
Validation Errors That Will Reject the Report
NFIRS runs automated checks when data imports into the national database, and reports failing those checks stay out of the national dataset until fixed. Most rejections come from relational edits, where an answer in one field contradicts an answer in another.8USFA.FEMA.gov. Notice of NFIRS Specification Enforcement
- Duplicate Actions Taken. Repeating the same action code across the three Section F slots is a critical error.
- Civilian Casualty on a non-fire incident. If Incident Type is outside the 100 series, the system rejects a Civilian Fire Casualty form.
- Detector fields left incomplete. Reporting that smoke detectors were present without completing the type, power supply, and operation fields fails the import.
- Automatic extinguishing system inconsistencies. If a sprinkler system was present, the type, operation, and performance fields are required. If the system operated, the failure-reason field must stay blank, and if it did not operate, the failure reason is required.
- Invalid codes. Any code not in the official NFIRS data dictionary fails, including text in a yes/no flag field or outdated NFIRS 4.1 conversion codes.
Most third-party reporting software flags these relational edits in real time. Departments using the USFA’s own web-based entry tool should keep the specification enforcement notice handy for the complete list of critical edits.8USFA.FEMA.gov. Notice of NFIRS Specification Enforcement