About Us

About Our Agency

The Office of the State Fire Marshal (OSFM) is dedicated to protecting the lives and property of the citizens of Kansas from the hazards of fire, explosion, and natural and man-made disasters.

The OSFM is organized into four divisions: Investigation, Prevention, Emergency Response and Administration:

  • The Prevention Division is focused on preventing accidental fires from beginning.
  • Emergency Response focuses on the actual response to emergencies, including coordination of Hazardous Materials and Search and Rescue, 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 Administration Division encompasses agency leadership, financial control, information technology and public information.

Mission

The agency’s mission is to reduce the deaths, injuries, and property losses of Kansans through:

  • Education
  • Enforcement
  • Hazardous material
  • Inspection
  • Investigation
  • Regulation
  • Search and rescue incident responses

Our Purpose

To reduce the deaths, injuries, and property losses of Kansans through:

  • Coordination of search and rescue efforts
  • Enforcement
  • Fireworks and Explosives Regulation
  • Hazardous material incident mitigation
  • Inspection
  • Investigation
  • Plans Review
  • Public education

Fighting Fire with Data

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 OSFM 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.