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About Us
The Office of the State Fire Marshal is organized into four divisions: Hazardous Materials, Investigation, Prevention, and Youth Programs. Each division focuses on a specific aspect of fire loss. The Prevention and Youth Programs Divisions work to prevent accidental fires from beginning. Hazardous Materials focuses on the actual response to emergencies by training and supporting response teams throughout the state. The Investigations Division determines the origin and cause of fires, aiding in the prosecution of arsonists and seeking out new or unknown fire hazards. The programs under these divisions include plans review, licensing, enforcement, fireworks and explosives, bomb detection and identification, accelerant detection, public education, firefighter training, information technology, and a video lending library.
The agency maintains the Kansas Fire Incident Reporting System (KFIRS). This is a state-wide data collection system for fire and emergency incidents. After a fire department responds to an emergency scene, a KFIRS report is submitted to the State Fire Marshal's Office. These reports are then submitted to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). KFIRS reports include information on incident type, responding personnel, equipment and resources used, and firefighter injuries or fatalities.
The Office of the Kansas State Fire Marshal also maintains two other databases: the Kansas Burn Injury Reporting System and the Kansas Insurance Loss Reporting System. Hospitals across Kansas are required to submit notification to this agency when patients have received burns over 20% of their entire body. This information aids in fire prevention and investigation. Insurance companies are required to submit a report for every insurance loss over $500 due to fire. This database helps reveal the scope of economic loss due to fire within the state of Kansas.
The Office of the State Fire Marshal incorporates both field staff and a central office. Fire investigators and inspectors are stationed across the state and the main office is located in Topeka.
