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Oregon Incident Reporting Advisory Commission

About the Commission

The Oregon Incident Reporting Advisory Commission (OIRAC) was created by the Oregon State Fire Marshal with support from fire service partners across the state. The commission works to improve the data collected in the Oregon Fire Incident Reporting System (OFIRS) to help strengthen incident response.

Commission Charter

This charter was revised on 3/10/2023. Click the tabs below. A print only version is available is available here.

Executive Summary

For any collaborative process to operate smoothly, it is necessary for those involved to agree at the outset on the purpose and procedures by which the group will govern its discussions, deliberations, and recommendations. This Charter is not intended to diminish, modify or otherwise affect the statutory or regulatory authorities of anyone participating on the Commission.

Mission

The mission of the Oregon Incident Reporting Advisory Commission is to support and improve the Oregon Fire Incident Reporting System.

Purpose

The Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is committed to its mission of protecting citizens, their property, and the environment from fire and hazardous materials. As part of this commitment, OSFM has created the Oregon Incident Reporting Advisory Commission (OIRAC) as a collaborative effort involving local fire service partners to improve incident response data collected statewide through the Oregon Fire Incident Reporting System (OFIRS).

OFIRS is structured in compliance with the National Fire Incident Reporting System but includes Oregon-specific codes and requirements that exceed the national system. Incident response data plays a key role in decision-making from the local to the national level. The fire service environment is constantly evolving and may require changes to data collection efforts to accurately reflect local fire agency activities.

Changes to data collection and reporting structures can have significant impacts on decision-making functions. For this reason, OSFM believes successful data collection efforts require a dedicated venue for local fire service members to provide input and participate in discussions related to incident reporting.

The Commission is created to collaborate with the OSFM Analytics & Intelligence Unit and shall limit its activities to advising on matters that directly concern the Oregon Fire Incident Reporting System (OFIRS). The specific purposes of the Commission include the following responsibilities:

  • Identify and discuss issues related to OFIRS
  • Identify and discuss methods or actions to improve data quality and consistency
  • Develop recommendations to improve OFIRS

Authority

It is the role and sole prerogative of the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) to enact policy. The authority of the Commission is limited to providing recommendations regarding the Oregon Fire Incident Reporting System (OFIRS) to the Commission Chair.

Membership

Composition: The Commission shall consist of no more than 15 members. Membership shall consist of staff members from local Oregon fire agencies representing the various types of fire agencies in Oregon. There will be as equal a distribution of fire agency diversity representation as possible. The diversity represented should include rural districts and municipal departments; volunteer, career, and combination agencies; and agencies that use the state reporting system as well as those that do not. (See Attachment 1 for a current membership list.)

Selection and Appointment: With the approval of their home agency, any member of a local fire agency in Oregon whose responsibilities include incident reporting may request an appointment to the Commission. Preference will be given to individuals who have previous training in incident reporting or have demonstrated proficiency with incident reporting. Members shall be selected and appointed by the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM).

Once appointed, members will continue to serve until one of the following conditions occurs:

  • They are unable to fulfill their membership obligations
  • They leave the agency they are representing
  • They are relieved of their appointment by OSFM, with or without cause

Structure

Commission Chair: The OSFM NFIRS Program Coordinator will serve as the Chairperson for this Commission. The Chair’s role generally includes conducting Commission meetings; working in conjunction with Commission Support on the development of draft agendas and minutes; distributing meeting materials; facilitating meetings; working to resolve any impasse that may arise; and performing other tasks as necessary. The Chair will work directly with all OIRAC members to ensure their ability to represent the concerns and interests of their agencies.

Commission Support: Administrative staff from the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) Analytics & Intelligence Unit will provide administrative support and prepare products for this Commission.

Meetings and Materials

Meetings will primarily be conducted using available technology. This may include webinars, teleconferences, email, or other technological resources that can accommodate the Commission’s business. The intent is to use the easiest and most appropriate venue to conduct Commission business while minimizing unnecessary travel for members located throughout the state.

Schedule: The Commission will meet biannually or as needed to fulfill its responsibilities. Each scheduled meeting will be set for two hours to allow sufficient time to complete discussions.

Agendas: Commission Support will draft proposed meeting agendas based on input from the Commission Chair and Commission members. Draft agendas will be circulated for review at least one week in advance of OIRAC meetings whenever possible.

Minutes: Commission Support will prepare OIRAC meeting minutes and provide draft minutes electronically for review and comment within one week following each meeting. The OIRAC will approve meeting minutes at the subsequent meeting. Final meeting minutes will be posted on the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) website.

Action Items: Commission Support will prepare action item lists as necessary to assist the OIRAC in documenting its progress and activities. The Commission Chair will ensure that action items are tracked and that OIRAC members are informed of progress.

Participation and Responsibilities

The Commission will provide valuable expertise to the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM) to improve and maintain consistent incident response data. Members will actively discuss and recommend improvements to the OFIRS structure, its codes, and overall incident response data. Participants will voluntarily work together to achieve mutually acceptable recommendations that serve the interests of all participants while maintaining a focus on positive outcomes for OSFM.

The Oregon Incident Reporting Advisory Commission (OIRAC) members will strive to:

  • Work together to develop recommendations to be implemented in OFIRS
  • Agree on the desired level of specificity of data and its elements or structures
  • Concur in all OIRAC decisions

Interests Represented: Commission members represent local fire agencies with an interest in consistent incident data and in developing recommendations aimed at improving and maintaining accurate and consistent data.

Attendance at Meetings: Each member will make a good faith effort to attend each OIRAC meeting. If a member cannot attend, he or she may designate a regular alternate to attend. The alternate’s role is to represent his/her agency or organization at the meeting and report back to the OIRAC member on discussion points and decisions. Both the member and alternate are responsible for staying fully briefed on all OIRAC meeting discussions and deliberations.

Constituent Interests: OIRAC members are expected to consult with and represent the concerns and interests of the organizations they were appointed to represent. Members are responsible for ensuring that all significant issues and concerns of their organizations are fully and clearly articulated during OIRAC meetings. They are also responsible for communicating any eventual recommendations or agreements back to the agencies they represent.

Member Commitments

All OIRAC members agree to:

  • Attend meetings and follow through on promises and commitments
  • Come to meetings prepared, having read all materials provided for the meeting
  • Bring concerns from their agency up for discussion at the earliest point in the process
  • Share all relevant information that will assist the OIRAC in achieving its goals
  • Participate in a free, open, and mutually respectful exchange of ideas, views, and information prior to achieving consensus
  • Resolve issues being addressed by the OIRAC within the commission structure
  • Characterize individual or workgroup viewpoints as fully and accurately as possible
  • Keep their organization’s decision-makers informed of potential decisions and actions, in order to achieve buy-in of the final product
  • Support the eventual product if they have concurred in it

Process Reminders / Ground Rules

All OIRAC members are expected to:

  • Seek to learn and understand each other’s perspective
  • Encourage respectful, candid, and constructive discussions
  • Provide balance of speaking time
  • Discuss topics together rather than in isolation
  • Limit side conversations
  • Make every effort to start and end meetings on time
  • Respect meeting space protocols

Making Recommendations

Consensus: The OIRAC will strive to make recommendations by consensus. Consensus is defined as all OIRAC members being more in agreement than disagreement with the recommendation or decision. If the group cannot reach consensus, recommendations or decisions will be made by a majority vote of members present.

Decision Making: OIRAC members represent a variety of fire agencies providing recommendations to the Oregon Office of State Fire Marshal (OSFM). As such, ultimate decision-making authority may reside with an individual not at the table. OIRAC members agree to regularly brief decision-makers within their respective organizations to ensure support and buy-in for recommendations or decisions developed through the OIRAC.

Recommendations: All recommendations made by the Commission shall be formally documented and maintained by the Commission Chair. The Commission Chair shall rely on the recommendations of the Commission when deciding what actions to take regarding the management of OFIRS. Any recommendations that exceed the Commission Chair’s decision-making authority shall be forwarded through the appropriate OSFM chain of command. Decisions made above the Commission Chair shall be communicated back to the Commission by the Commission Chair.

Approved Action Items

The approved action items linked below are for print only and do not meet the federal accessibility requirements. Click the tabs below to see the approved action items.


Approved Incident Types CodeDescription​Core Code Description
1120Tent Fire/UndershelteredFire in structure other than a building
1121Fence fireFire in structure other than a building
1421Barkdust fireBrush or brush and grass fire
1431Hay fireGrass fire
3111Lift assist with patient care reportMedical assist, assist EMS crew
3211Walk-inEMS Call
4611Downed treeBuilding or structure weakened or collapsed
5531Community paramedicinePublic Service
5532Smoke/CO Alarm Installation & Battery ReplacementPublic Service
5533Downed low voltage lines, cables, wiresPublic Service
6111Dispatched and canceled prior to going en routeDispatched and canceled en route
6112Dispatched and canceled en route, EMS callDispatched and canceled en route
6113Dispatched and canceled en route, EMS alarmDispatched and canceled en route
6114Dispatched and canceled en route, Fire callDispatched and canceled en route
6115Dispatched and canceled en route, Fire alarmDispatched and canceled en route
6116Dispatched and canceled en route, MVADispatched and canceled en route
6117Dispatched, unable to respondDispatched and canceled en route
6118Dispatched and canceled en route, Med assistDispatched and canceled en route
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Approved Actions Taken CodeDescription​Core Code Description
311EMS - Patient RefusalProvide first aid and check for injuries. Medical Evaluation
551Stabilize vehicleEstablish safe area
751Installation of smoke/CO alarm(s) & batteriesProvide equipment
841Canceled on-sceneRefer to proper authority
921Canceled After ArrivalStandby
931Dispatched and canceled prior to going en routeCanceled en route
​
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Approved Property Use CodeDescription​Core Code Description
7001Hemp/Marijuana IndustryAny property use related to hemp or marijuana industry

Confined Fire Reporting Procedure

  • For confined fires with incident type codes 113-118, the NFIRS-1 basic module and the NFIRS-2 fire module will be required.
  • The NFIRS-3 structure fire module will not be required for confined fires with incident type codes 113-118.

Rationale: The NFIRS-1 basic module is required by NFIRS, even for confined fires. In addition, the NFIRS-2 fire module captures key information to inform education and prevention programs and identify faulty products in need of report to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (e.g., area of fire origin, item first ignited, factors contributing to ignition, and equipment involved). The structure fire module does not capture key information and is infrequently utilized; therefore, the structure fire module shall not be required for confined fires with incident type codes 113-118.

Mutual Aid Reporting Procedure

Standard Scenario

Your agency provides Mutual or Automatic Aid to another fire agency, who is also on scene at the incident. In the basic module of the NFIRS report, your agency will report Auto or Mutual Aid given (depending on whether the aid response is automatic [prearranged] or mutual [by request]). The agency receiving aid will report aid received, as long as that agency is on scene during the incident.

Alternate Scenario 1a/1b

Your agency is on move up for another fire agency. While assigned to move up, you are dispatched to a call within that agency’s district/assigned area. You handle the call. You are the only fire agency on scene.

OR

Your agency is dispatched to an out-of-district call. The agency who is responsible for the district is unavailable. You are the only fire agency on-scene. Code the aid in the basic module of the NFIRS report as “Other Aid Given.”

Rationale:

  • For Mutual Aid to be given or received, by definition there must be two or more fire agencies on scene.
  • Other Aid Given allows all information to be captured by the agency on scene and allows the report to be counted as a unique incident.
  • The fire agency who received aid will not complete a report on this incident, given that they were not present on scene.

Alternate Scenario 2

Your fire agency and another fire agency provide Mutual Aid to a third fire agency not on scene. Between the agencies on scene, one agency must take primary responsibility for reporting the incident (potentially the agency that takes command of the scene). This agency will report “Mutual Aid Received.” The other fire agency on scene will report “Mutual Aid Given.” The absent fire agency will not report the incident.

Rationale:

  • Two fire agencies are present on scene, which by definition allows Mutual Aid to be given or received.
  • Only one agency may claim aid received for a given incident. The purpose of only one agency claiming aid received is to avoid duplicate counts of unique incidents.

Reference: NFIRS Coding Questions 2016 (USFA)​