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Does the State of Maine participate in the National Fire Incident Reporting System?

The State of Maine Office of State Fire Marshal, through the use of the MEFIRS (Maine Fire & EMS Incident Reporting System), participates in NFIRS.

Can my fire department use the USFA NFIRS 5.0 software to report to the State of Maine Office of State Fire Marshal and the USFA National Fire Incident Reporting System?

The Maine State Fire Marshal's Office no longer supports the use of the U.S. Fire Administration NFIRS 5.0 software at the local department level. 

Who is the State MEFIRS/NFIRS State Administrator?

The State Administrator is Richard Taylor. You can contact her using this information:

Richard Taylor
Office of State Fire Marshal
MEFIRS State Administrator
52 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0052
207-626-3873
 

Can I use vendor software to send Fire Department and incident data to the State of Maine Office of State Fire Marshal and the National Database?

The State of Maine MEFIRS and USFA National Database will recognize incident file data from vendor software if the vendor has registered their software in accordance with U.S. Fire Administration specifications. The USFA maintains a list of vendors with Active Status. Active Status vendors are listed on the NFIRS 5.0 website under "Active Vendors" at: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/nfirs/vendors/registered_vendors.html .

System Requirements

What are the System Requirements in order to use MEFIRS?

To view the MEFIRS Elite system specifications, please select the following link: Elite specifications (PDF, 4 pages, 7.5 MB).

Downloading and Access

What do I do if I forget my password?

Should you forget your password, you can use the "Forgot Password" feature on the MEFIRS login screen to get an email that will help you get back into the MEFIRS system. If you try to use an invalid username or password and get locked out of the system after 4 attempts, you must email one of your department's Fire Agency Administrators or Fire/EMS Agency Administrators to get unlocked.

What should I do if my department had no incidents for the month?

You should submit a "No Activity" report, so you can document your department's activity in the NFIRS database.

How long does it take to download the MEFIRS software?

MEFIRS is an online system, so you don't need to download software in order to use it. Google Chrome is the browser that will give the best performance.

How do I find the codes I need in order to fill out the incident report?

You can download the NFIRS Reference Guide to your desktop. It's a large file (over 500 pages), but it contains everything you need to know about the difference modules and the possible codes you can use for each module. Select the link to access the NFIRS 5.0 Complete Reference Guide (at the bottom of the page): NFIRS Complete Reference Guide (PDF, 9.7 MB). Richard Taylor has inactivated many of the codes that document "other" categories.

How do I calculate property and contents loss, as well as the pre-incident values for both categories?

To calculate property and contents dollar loss, please use the following guidelines. Contents loss includes contents damaged by fire, smoke, water and overhaul. Contents loss can be calculated if there was an insured value for homeowner's or renter's insurance. If there was no insured value, you can use your best guess. This also applies to figuring the content's pre-incident value.

Property loss can be calculated using the International Code Council's (ICC) Building Valuation Data, found at this location: https://www.iccsafe.org/codes-tech-support/codes/code-development-process/building-valuation-data/ .

Property pre-incident value can be found by using the town or city's assessed value of the property.

Is there a special requirement for the creation of my password?

Passwords must be at least 8 characters long and contain at least one uppercase letter, a number and a special character; and the special character cannot be the "=" symbol.

About Third Party Software Vendors

How can I tell if a Vendor's software is certified with the USFA?

The United States Fire Administration no longer certifies vendor software. Vendors develop their product according to the specifications to be compatible with the national NFIRS 5.0 standard. Vendors notify the USFA when their product development has been completed. The USFA then places the vendor on the Active Vendors List: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/nfirs/vendors/registered_vendors.html