Minnesota Launches Fire Prevention Tool for Departments

(KNSI) – After years of planning, new software is giving Minnesota’s fire departments help to prevent fires and save lives.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety State Fire Marshal Division has launched the Fire Risk Analysis Tool. The program maps which areas have the most fires and what causes them. Departments can use the data to identify high-risk populations and staffing needs at fire stations, strategize where to build future fire stations and figure out which neighborhoods need public education about fire prevention.

Planning for this database started four years ago after fire deaths in 2017 reached a 22-year high. Sixty-eight people died in fires that year. That was a 58 percent increase over 2016 and the highest number since 1995.

According to the SFMD, an algorithm analyzes past fire events to draw patterns and predict the likelihood of fires increasing or decreasing in an area. Experts say smoking is the number one cause of fire deaths statewide. The analysis could help bring down those numbers.

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