Overview:  Responserack helps volunteer fire departments with NFIRS and more.

NFIRS Codes Cheat Sheet - NFIRS Coding - NFIRS Examples - FDIDs - POCs

powered by Responserack National Fire Incident Reporting System. Reporting by Responserack Fire Department NFIRS RMS.

NFIRS 5.0 Element: ‘Area of Origin’

Also known as: ‘Area of Fire Origin’ ‘areaOfFireOrigin’

Definition: The primary use of the area where the fire started within the property.The area of origin may be a room, a portion of a room, a vehicle, a portion of a vehicle, or an open area devoted to a specific use. Every fire has an area of fire origin.

Purpose: Combined with data on the fire’s ignition, knowing the area where the fire originated assists in determining the cause of the fire. Such information is useful for targeting fire prevention, investigation, and suppression efforts.

Entry: Enter the two-digit code and description that best describes the area of fire origin.

Need something else? Here is the complete list of all NFIRS modules and subsequent NFIRS transactions, plus a list of all NFIRS elements.

Need to replace your Fire RMS software?
Responserack provides middle-of-the-night firefighter-simple volunteer fire department software. We work with volunteer fire departments only. Check out all we offer.

NFIRS Coding

Here are the NFIRS codes for the ‘Area of Origin’ element, including any “other” values in case none of the preselected choices match:

Common Examples of Area of Origin

More commonly used values for Area of Origin…

Area of Origin  Code 
Cooking Area, Kitchen 24
Entranceway, Lobby 05
Interior Stairway or Ramp 03
Wildland, Woods 95
Outside Area - Other 90
Other Area Of Fire Origin 00
Undetermined UU
Ceiling And Floor Assembly, Crawl Space Between Stories 73
Attic: Vacant, Crawl Space Above Top Story 74
Wall Assembly, Concealed Wall Space 75

Groups within ‘Area of Origin’

All values for Area of Origin

Means Of Egress Group
  • 01 - Hallway Corridor, Mall
  • 02 - Exterior Stairway, Ramp, or Fire Escape
  • 03 - Interior Stairway or Ramp
  • 04 - Escalator: Exterior, Interior
  • 05 - Entranceway, Lobby
  • 09 - Egress/Exit - Other
Assembly, Sales Areas (groups Of People) Group
  • 11 - Arena, Assembly Area W/ Fixed Seats - 100+ Persons
  • 12 - Assembly Area Without Fixed Seats - 100+ Persons
  • 13 - Assembly Area - Less Than 100 Persons
  • 14 - Common Room, Den, Family Room, Living Room, Lounge
  • 15 - Sales Area, Showroom (excludes Display Window)
  • 16 - Art Gallery, Exhibit Hall, Library
  • 17 - Swimming Pool
  • 10 - Assembly or Sales Area - Other
Function Areas Group
  • 21 - Bedroom - < 5 Persons; Included Are Jail or Prison
  • 22 - Bedroom - 5+ Persons; Including Barrack/Dormitory
  • 23 - Dining Room, Cafeteria, Bar Area, Beverage Service
  • 24 - Cooking Area, Kitchen
  • 25 - Bathroom, Checkroom, Lavatory, Locker Room
  • 26 - Laundry Area, Wash House (Laundry)
  • 27 - Office
  • 28 - Personal Service Area, Barber/Beauty Salon Area
  • 20 - Function Areas - Other
Technical Processing Areas Group
  • 31 - Laboratory
  • 32 - Dark Room, Photography Area, or Printing Area
  • 33 - Treatment - First Aid Area, Surgery Area
  • 34 - Surgery Area - Major Operations, Operating Room
  • 35 - Computer Room, Control Room or Center
  • 36 - Stage Area - Performance, Basketball Court, Boxing
  • 37 - Projection Room, Spotlight Area
  • 38 - Processing/Manufacturing Area, Workroom
  • 30 - Technical Processing Areas - Other
Storage Areas Group
  • 41 - Storage Room, Area, Tank, or Bin
  • 42 - Closet
  • 43 - Storage: Supplies or Tools; Dead Storage
  • 44 - Records Storage Room, Storage Vault
  • 45 - Shipping/receiving Area; Loading Area, Dock or Bay
  • 46 - Chute/Container - Trash, Rubbish, Waste
  • 47 - Vehicle Storage Area; Garage, Carport
  • 40 - Storage Area - Other
Service Areas Group
  • 51 - Dumbwaiter or Elevator Shaft
  • 52 - Conduit, Pipe, Utility, or Ventilation Shaft
  • 53 - Light Shaft
  • 54 - Chute; Laundry or Mail, Excluding Trash Chutes
  • 55 - Duct: HVAC, Cable, Exhaust, Heating, or AC
  • 56 - Display Window
  • 57 - Chimney (Conversion Only)
  • 58 - Conveyor
  • 50 - Service Facilities - Other
Service, Equipment Areas Group
  • 61 - Machinery Room or Area; Elevator Machinery Room
  • 62 - Heating Room or Area, Water Heater Area
  • 63 - Switchgear Area, Transformer Vault
  • 64 - Incinerator Area
  • 65 - Maintenance Shop or Area, Paint Shop or Area
  • 66 - Cell, Test
  • 67 - Enclosure, Pressurized Air
  • 68 - Enclosure With Enriched Oxygen Atmosphere
  • 60 - Equipment or Service Area - Other
Structural Areas Group
  • 71 - Substructure Area or Space, Crawl Space
  • 72 - Exterior Balcony, Unenclosed Porch
  • 73 - Ceiling And Floor Assembly, Crawl Space Between Stories
  • 74 - Attic: Vacant, Crawl Space Above Top Story
  • 75 - Wall Assembly, Concealed Wall Space
  • 76 - Wall Surface: Exterior
  • 77 - Roof Surface: Exterior
  • 78 - Awning
  • 70 - Structural Area - Other
Transportation, Vehicle Areas Group
  • 81 - Operator/passenger Area Of Transportation Equipment
  • 82 - Cargo/trunk Area—all Vehicles
  • 83 - Engine Area, Running Gear, Wheel Area
  • 84 - Fuel Tank, Fuel Line
  • 85 - Separate Operator/control Area Of Transportation Equipment
  • 86 - Exterior, Exposed Surface
  • 80 - Vehicle Area - Other
Other Area Of Origin Group
  • 91 - Railroad Right-of-way: On or Near
  • 92 - Highway, Parking Lot, Street: On or Near
  • 93 - Courtyard, Patio, Terrace
  • 94 - Open Area, Outside; Included Are Farmland, Field
  • 95 - Wildland, Woods
  • 96 - Construction/Renovation Area
  • 97 - Multiple Areas
  • 98 - Vacant Structural Area
  • 90 - Outside Area - Other
  • 00 - Other Area Of Fire Origin
  • UU - Undetermined

Transactions containing ‘Area of Origin’

A few NFIRS elements are reused accross a number of transactions, but typically the value is captured by one transaction only.

Element Specification

 Specification   Value 
Requirement Mandatory
Expected Length 2
Element Type Coded Field - The coded field relating to an entry in the code table. Most coded fields allow for Plus+ One codes. For these fields the expected length of the coded entry is depicted as (National length OR Plus+ One length). Only fields with this notation in the expected length column allow for Plus+ One definitions. If the user has not provided information, an empty field should be transmitted.
Volunteer Fire Department Solution
Responserack provides innovative volunteer fire department software. We work with volunteer fire departments only. Check out all we offer.
 
 
Was this helpful? Please share...

Need more NFIRS help?

Need more help with NFIRS, or not yet found what you are looking for? Please see if these help …  

 
 

For more information see the NFIRS Cheat Sheet, NFIRS Coding and contact Responserack to learn about our fire department software.