FireProtectionScore

Sources

Public station inventory, routing inputs, match methods, and source limits.

HIFLD fire stations

Station candidates and context inventories use Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-Level Data fire station records. HIFLD compiles records supplied by public agencies. Each context hub shows its snapshot date and city-plus-state string match method.

The source CITY field can differ from a legal boundary or response district. Counts describe matched station records rather than departments, staffing, service quality, or jurisdiction.

Routed access

The address score path obtains road distance and estimated drive time through a routing service after selecting a nearby station candidate. Route estimates can change as road data and routing services update.

Exclusions

No national hydrant database, water-flow record, official classification output, staffing roster, or live dispatch feed enters Protection.

Snapshot controls

Committed JSON snapshots record the source date, total matched station count, displayed records, volunteer name-signal count, and omitted count. Lists cap display at 20 records. A later reviewed snapshot may change counts without changing the formula.

Match and routing limits

CITY and STATE support a normalized inventory match. CITY does not establish jurisdiction, legal boundaries, or response districts. HIFLD rows represent stations rather than departments or staffing rosters. A routing service supplies modeled road miles and minutes after a US street address is resolved. Road databases and routes can change.

Interpretation

Distance gates run first: above 7 road miles gives base 10, and above 5 road miles gives base 9. At 5 miles or less, estimated time gives base 1 at 3 minutes or less, 2 at 4, 3 at 5, 4 at 6, 5 at 7, 6 at 8, 7 at 10, and 8 above 10 minutes. A volunteer signal in the public station name adds one, capped at 10. Strong covers 1 through 3, Adequate covers 4 through 6, Limited covers 7 through 8, and Remote covers 9 through 10. Lower is stronger. Protection excludes hydrants, water supply and flow, building construction, sprinklers, alarms, apparatus, detailed staffing, mutual aid, live dispatch, current traffic, and incident conditions. It cannot predict response or loss. A station name signal is a heuristic and does not certify staffing.

Protection does not calculate ISO, PPC, or FSRS classifications, and FireProtectionScore has no affiliation with those organizations or programs. Read station inventory guidance and the methodology.

How to audit a published claim

For a hub claim, begin with the committed station JSON. Confirm snapshot_date, station_count, volunteer_signal_count, omitted_count, and the number of displayed station rows. Read the page match statement as a source query, not as a boundary assertion. For a property result, confirm that road miles and drive time exist, identify the governing bucket, and apply the station-name adjustment only after the base.

Source updates and method updates are different events. A refreshed HIFLD snapshot can change candidates or names. A road update can change a route. A methodology version can change calculation rules. Publishing each control separately lets a reader identify which kind of change occurred.

Source-specific uncertainty

Public infrastructure records can lag local changes, repeat records, omit facilities, or use names and city labels that differ from current local usage. Routing services model mapped access and may miss private gates, temporary restrictions, or recent construction. These limits do not justify filling gaps with assumptions. They justify showing dates, inputs, and missing-data states.

Citation guide

Cite a local hub for its station inventory facts and place-specific route questions. Cite the methodology for bucket arithmetic, polarity, adjustment, missing-data behavior, and exclusions. Cite a worked example only as an illustrative calculation. A property result should retain its own address, route inputs, version, and date.

Avoid citing a HIFLD city match as proof of a response boundary. Avoid citing station_count as a department count. Avoid citing volunteer_signal_count as verified staffing. Avoid citing a hub as evidence of a city or ZIP Protection number. The published labels and limits are part of each fact.

Data stewardship

Inventory changes should arrive through reviewed snapshots rather than live reads during deployment. A review can compare added, removed, renamed, and rematched station rows before publication. Large unexplained count shifts deserve source inspection. The committed artifact then supports repeatable site builds and lets the page state one stable snapshot date.

Routing results are request-specific rather than hub artifacts. They should be calculated through the address path, which keeps a property start point attached to its miles and minutes. This split prevents local educational pages from drifting into unsupported area scoring.

Methodology

Public data. Real science. No black boxes.

Every score is computed from decades of public weather records using physics-based probability modeling. It's the same approach used by insurance and risk management professionals.

Decades of public weather data: Hurricane tracks, storm intensities, fire perimeters, hail reports, all drawn from public scientific archives. We don't use proprietary data. You can audit every input.
Physics-based probability modeling: Scores reflect how the actual peril behaves: wind fields, fire spread, ground shaking, and storm tracks. The model keeps the physics visible instead of flattening every place into a broad average.
Used by professionals: The same PerilScore data layer is used by insurance and risk management professionals. We publish it here so anyone can find authoritative risk numbers for their location.

Frequently asked questions

What does Protection measure?

Protection measures routed access from a US street address to a nearby fire station using road distance, drive time, and station type. Lower is stronger.

Does a city have one Protection score?

No. Routes can change street by street, so a city inventory provides context while the score path begins with a US street address.

Does Protection include hydrants or water flow?

No. Protection does not use hydrant distance, water supply, staffing levels, apparatus, building systems, or live dispatch conditions.

Why is lower stronger?

Lower values represent shorter modeled station access. Strong is 1 to 3, Adequate 4 to 6, Limited 7 to 8, and Remote 9 to 10.

What happens above five road miles?

A route above 5 road miles receives base 9, while a route above 7 miles receives base 10. Exactly 5 miles still uses time.

Can two streets in one ZIP differ?

Yes. Each US street address can have different road miles, modeled minutes, station selection, and station-name signal.

What does a volunteer signal mean?

It means the public station name matched a volunteer-service keyword. The signal does not verify staffing.

Is Protection an official classification?

No. Protection does not calculate ISO, PPC, or FSRS results, and FireProtectionScore has no affiliation with those organizations or programs.

Check Protection for a specific property

Protection is calculated for a US street address from routed station distance, drive time, and station type. Area inventories provide context but do not receive a Protection number.