Updated August 19, 2025
8 min 18 sec estimated read timeA direct reflection of the hard work your department is pouring into your community, incident types are an invaluable tool for shedding light on your current and future needs. By tracking them, you can garner deeper insights that’ll help guide decision making for everything from resource allocation and tailoring training and community risk reduction efforts to improving response times and applying for grants.
The 2025 ESO Fire Service Index compiled data from over 7,919,600 incidents that took place from January 1 – December 31, 2024, to give your team a 1000-foot view of the current state of the industry. The ESO Fire Service Index not only shares national benchmarks for incident types, but it also helps you to better understand your community’s needs, see what’s trending industry-wide, and zero in on areas that may need improvement, along with neighborhoods that may need more assistance.
Key findings
Out of all responses in the 2025 ESO Fire Service Index, Rescue and EMS incidents were the vast majority at 63%, a statistic that has remained consistent in the past few years. Below in Chart 1, you’ll find the top overall incident types for fire response:
| Counts of incidents by incident type | |
| Series 100 (Fire) | 3% (248K) |
| Series 200 (Overpressure rupture, explosion, overheat – no fire) | <1% (6K) |
| Series 300 (Rescue and EMS incident) | 63% (5M) |
| Series 400 (Hazardous condition – no fire) | 2.7% (211K) |
| Series 500 (Service call) | 7.6% (598K) |
| Series 600 (Good intent call) | 12% (935K) |
| Series 700 (False alarm and false call) | 7% (569K) |
| Series 800 (Severe weather and natural disaster) | <1% (11K) |
| Series 900 (Special incident type) | <1% (21K) |
Chart 2 further breaks down Series 100 or fire-only responses.
| Types of fire responses | |
| Series 100 (Fire, other) | 4% (9.9K) |
| Series 110 (Structure fire) | 37% (91K) |
| Series 120 (Fire in mobile property used as fixed structure) | 1% (2.6K) |
| Series 130 (Mobile property vehicle fire) | 14% (34.7K) |
| Series 140 (Natural vegetation fire) | 21% (52.4K) |
| Series 150 (Outside rubbish fire) | 20% (49.5K) |
| Series 160 (Special outside fire) | 3% (7.2K) |
| Series 170 (Cultivated vegetation, crop fire) | .4% (1.1K) |
For fire incidents (100 series), the three most common response types were structure fire (Series 110 – 37%), natural vegetation fire (Series 140 – 20%), and outside rubbish fire (Series 150 – 20%). As weather patterns change and the threat of natural vegetation/WUI fires continues to rise, tracking these incident types from year to year can help your crew better direct preventative measures and allocate resources.
Key recommendations
Take a look back at your incident types over the past few years and see how they have shifted. Are your practices aligned with your current needs, or are they still reflecting years past? Next, compare them to the national average to see what is trending and how to proactively make changes.
A perfect example is WUI fire training. Wildland fires have had a devastating impact in recent years, and regardless of your proximity to them, it’s good practice to have a plan in place for prevention. Here are a few ways you can get ahead of the threat:
- Create community programming that educates on prevention.
- Follow all Wildland Urban Interface Fire Codes on construction sites.
- Properly train and equip firefighters to respond to wildland fires.
Get more insights with the 2025 ESO Fire Services Index
Explore the data and learn how your department can stay prepared and keep your community safe. Filled with industry trends and national benchmarks, learn more on the upward trajectory of wildland fires, get the best practices for on-scene decontamination, and see if your first apparatus times align with the national average by downloading the free 2025 ESO Fire Service Index.
Preparing for the Shift to NERIS
As fire departments prepare to adopt the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS), having a strong foundation for incident tracking will be even more important. NERIS introduces a new structure for capturing and analyzing fire service data, offering more consistency and clarity across agencies.
ESO is committed to supporting departments through this transition. Our team is focused on delivering the tools, product updates, and guidance you need to stay prepared and get the most out of your data under the new standard. See how we can help.
