Community Risk Intelligence (CRI) Training

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Executive Summary

For many fire departments, moving from raw incident and demographic data to a defensible, decision-ready risk analysis is one of the most significant obstacles to building an effective Community Risk Assessment (CRA). Departments increasingly have access to geographic information system (GIS) technology and to a growing library of national data sources, including the U.S. Fire Administration’s National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS), but many lack the technical proficiency to turn that access into usable risk intelligence.

The 2-day Community Risk Intelligence (CRI) training, delivered by Vision 20/20 in partnership with Esri, closes that gap. Students learn to access, prepare, and analyze national and local incident data using Esri’s ArcGIS platform, working with their own department’s data rather than a generic sample data set, so that every exercise builds directly toward their organization’s own Community Risk Assessment. The course was developed with Vision 20/20’s philosophy to Educate, Equip and Engage, and is a strategic investment to build a vital, transferable skill set for current and future fire service leaders.

Learning objectives

Access and evaluate national incident data sources, including NERIS Public and legacy NFIRS-derived layers, and understand the strengths and limitations of each
Apply Esri’s ArcGIS platform to map, filter, and analyze fire incident data specific to your own department’s service area, using hot spot and pattern analysis to identify concentrations, categories, and trends
Build a web application and operational dashboard that communicate incident intelligence clearly to command staff, elected officials, and community stakeholders
Apply the resulting analysis within the NFPA 1300 Community Risk Assessment process and the Vision 20/20 Community Risk Reduction framework to prioritize risk and target interventions

Course Outline

Overview

Vision 20/20’s 2-day Community Risk Intelligence (CRI) training was developed in partnership with Esri to build a critical skill set for current and future fire department leaders, focused on geospatial analysis and data-informed decision making. Built on Vision 20/20’s initiative to Educate, Equip and Engage, the CRI course is forward facing, helping students turn national and local incident data into risk intelligence they can apply directly to their own Community Risk Assessment (CRA) and the NFPA 1300 CRA process.

The course is built on NERIS Public incident data and legacy NFIRS-derived layers, reflecting the fire service’s ongoing transition to the U.S. Fire Administration’s new reporting system, alongside Esri’s ArcGIS platform for mapping, spatial analysis, and dashboard development. The 2-day course delivery is organized into 5 modules: Introduction to Community Risk Intelligence, Prepare NERIS Public Incident Data for Analysis, Find Patterns in Fire Incidents, Showcase Fire Data with an App, and Showcase Fire Data with a Dashboard.

Students work throughout the course in Esri’s ArcGIS Online environment, applying each technique to their own department’s incident data rather than a generic sample data set, so that the finished product of the course is a working start on their own risk analysis.

The course concludes with an online student course evaluation where Vision 20/20 collects a variety of measurable metrics based on knowledge gained, significant student impacts, and qualitative data about the course and the students’ learning experience.

Terminal Objectives

Access, evaluate, and prepare national and local incident data, including NERIS Public and legacy NFIRS-derived sources, for spatial analysisAccess, evaluate, and prepare national and local incident data, including NERIS Public and legacy NFIRS-derived sources, for spatial analysis
Identify, map, and validate a fire department service area, then symbolize, filter, and analyze incident data using Esri’s ArcGIS platform to find concentrations, categories, and trends
Build a web application and operational dashboard that communicate incident intelligence effectively to leadership and stakeholders
Apply the resulting intelligence within the NFPA 1300 Community Risk Assessment process and the Vision 20/20 Community Risk Reduction framework to prioritize risk and target interventions

Module Descriptions

Module One

Introduction to Community Risk Intelligence

Introduces students to the CRI course and its relationship to Vision 20/20’s Community Risk Reduction (CRR) framework and the NFPA 1300 Community Risk Assessment (CRA) process. Establishes why geospatial and data analytics skills matter to a modern fire department, and previews the fire service’s shift from the legacy National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) to the U.S. Fire Administration’s new National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS).

Module Two

Prepare NERIS Public Incident Data for Analysis

Students access the NERIS Public incident and fire department layers within Esri’s ArcGIS Online, review the available data, and identify their own fire department’s service area as the basis for analysis. Students learn to isolate and save their own department’s incident data, along with legacy NFIRS data from Esri’s Living Atlas, as a reusable working layer that carries through the remainder of the course, while learning to recognize and document reporting completeness and data quality limitations along the way.

Module Two Activities
Student Activity – Building a local, department-specific incident data layer, filtered to service area and reporting period, for use throughout the remainder of the course.

Module Three

Find Patterns in Fire Incidents

Building on Esri’s ArcGIS Learn path Map, Analyze, and Share Fire Incident Data, students symbolize, filter, and analyze their own department’s incident data to identify concentrations, categories, and trends. This module covers hot spot and pattern analysis techniques that reveal where and why risk concentrates within a community.

Module Three Activities
Student Activity – Applying hot spot and pattern analysis to the student’s own incident data to surface risk concentrations by geography, incident type, and time.

Module Four

Showcase Fire Data with an App

Students build a web application in ArcGIS that presents their incident analysis in an accessible, visual format, suitable for sharing with command staff, elected officials, or the public.

Module Four Activities
Student Activity – Publishing a working web app built from the student’s own department data and analysis.

Module Five

Showcase Fire Data with a Dashboard

Students build an operational dashboard that consolidates incident intelligence into a single, decision-ready view, closing the loop from raw data to a tool leadership can use to prioritize risk and target interventions.

Module Five Activities
Student Activity – Assembling a department-specific dashboard for ongoing use in risk monitoring and stakeholder communication.

Course Closing

Applying CRI to Your CRA
The course concludes with a discussion connecting the analytical skills built across all five modules to the NFPA 1300 Community Risk Assessment process and the Vision 20/20 Community Risk Reduction framework, so students leave with a clear plan to apply what they have learned to their own department’s Community Risk Assessment.