New reporting system should bring more data on Iowa fires

More data about fires in Iowa will soon be available to state officials, who announced a new web-based reporting system for local departments.

Officials say the new system, which should be operational within 60 days, will help them learn about fire causes and risks, which should lead to better fire prevention strategies. Only 38 percent of Iowa's 900 fire departments currently report fire calls to the state fire marshal.

The new reporting system, called Fire Bridge, will make it easier for fire departments to report accurate information to the state. Some Iowa departments previously said they could not afford the software needed to report fire calls, officials said.

Other states that have used the system reported seeing 60 percent increases in the number of fire departments that report information, officials said.

“I anticipate a cost savings of more than $100,000 for Iowa tax payers," State Fire Marshal Ray Reynolds said in a statement. "Fire departments are currently paying for costly software upgrades every year in order to report fire calls in their jurisdictions.”

The Iowa State Patrol has a public website where it posts accident reports, but the fire reporting system will not be public like that, according to Alicia Ver Huel, at the Iowa Fire Service Training Bureau. She said fire departments will log in to view only their own department's reports.