State Fire Marshal Division General Information

Burn Ban Information

The State Fire Marshal provides information for bans on open burning put in place by local Fire Departments and Emergency Management Coordinators working together to prevent fires. 

For specific questions about open burning in your community, please contact your local Fire Department or Emergency Management office. 

For local fire departments and emergency management coordinators: To request we post information regarding a burn ban in your area, please complete the burn ban request form and email it to sfmburnbans@dps.state.ia.us.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q. Can I use a burn pit or burn trash when there is a burn ban in my county?
A. A burn ban does not prohibit the following:  supervised, controlled burn for which a permit has been issued by the fire chief of the fire district where the burn will take place, the use of outdoor fireplaces, barbecue grills, properly supervised landfills, or the burning of trash in incinerators or trash burners made of metal, concrete, masonry, or heavy one-inch wire mesh, with no openings greater than one square inch.

Q. Who do I contact with questions about burning in my county if there is a burn ban in place?
A. Please contact the individual on the burn ban request form for further information about a ban in your county.

Iowa Code Section 100.40 Marshal may prohibit open burning on request.
1. The state fire marshal, during periods of extremely dry conditions or under other conditions when the state fire marshal finds open burning constitutes a danger to life or property, may prohibit open burning in an area of the state at the request of the chief of a local fire department, a city council or a board of supervisors and when an investigation supports the need for the prohibition. The state fire marshal shall implement the prohibition by issuing a proclamation to persons in the affected area. The chief of a local fire department, the city council or the board of supervisors that requested the prohibition may rescind the proclamation after notifying the state fire marshal of the intent to do so, when the chief, city council or board of supervisors finds that the conditions responsible for the issuance of the proclamation no longer exist. 
2. Violation of a prohibition issued under this section is a simple misdemeanor.
3. A proclamation issued by the state fire marshal pursuant to this section shall not prohibit a supervised, controlled burn for which a permit has been issued by the fire chief of the fire district where the burn will take place, the use of outdoor fireplaces, barbecue grills, properly supervised landfills, or the burning of trash in incinerators or trash burners made of metal, concrete, masonry, or heavy one-inch wire mesh, with no openings greater than one square inch.

Burn Ban Map

Iowa Active Burn Ban Map

Fire Fatalities

Each year, communities across the State of Iowa lose citizens to fires in a multitude of ways, but most fatalities occur in the home. Below is a glimpse at the tragedy that fire related fatalities cause in Iowa.  While watching this video featuring State Fire Marshal Dan Wood and reviewing the list of the deceased, please take note that many of the homes did not have properly working smoke detectors. 

Dropped cigarettes or cigarettes improperly disposed are another top fire hazard in the home. A cigarette can smolder, eventually causing a fire or large amounts of smoke. Smoking is the leading cause of residential fire deaths in the U.S.

State Fire Marshal Wood and his team are partnering with the Smoke Free Homes program to encourage homeowners, renters, and rental property owners/managers to reduce the risk of cigarette-related fires and reduce the risk of increased insurance premiums if a fire were to occur. Smoking can contribute to deteriorating health in children and adults, serious injury, and death.

Iowa has more than 1,300 smoke-free properties available and provides a great resource to locate them. Find a smoke-free property in Iowa.  

CURRENT FIRE DATA

In 2022, local fire departments responded to an estimated 1.5 million fires in the U.S.. These fires caused 3,790 civilian fire deaths and 13,250 reported civilian fire injuries. The property damage caused by these fires was estimated at $18 billion.

Despite a drop in the number of fires, the rate of fire-caused fatalities has remained steady, partly due to modern building trends like open spaces, the increased use of synthetic materials and lightweight wood construction, all of which cause fires to spread more quickly.

You used to have 7 to 8 minutes to leave your home after you heard the smoke alarm. Now, you have 1 or 2 minutes from the time the alarm sounds. You need to be prepared in advance of a fire. Make sure you have properly-maintained and fully-functional smoke detectors and evacuation/escape plans.

Fire fatality information listed below includes only completed investigations.

For information on open/unlisted fatality investigations, please email fminfo@dps.state.ia.us or call 515.725.6150.

2024 Total Fire Fatalities: 15

2023 Total Fire Fatalities: 37

2022 Total Fire Fatalities: 48

2021 Total Fire Fatalities: 30

2020 Total Fire Fatalities: 38

2019 Total Fire Fatalities: 50

2018 Total Fire Fatalities: 41

2017 Total Fire Fatalities: 56

2016 Total Fire Fatalities: 47

2015 Total Fire Fatalities: 31

2014 Total Fire Fatalities: 42

2013 Total Fire Fatalities: 26

2012 Total Fire Fatalities: 42

2011 Total Fire Fatalities: 46

2010 Total Fire Fatalities: 33

2009 Total Fire Fatalities: 46

2008 Total Fire Fatalities: 49

2007 Total Fire Fatalities: 30

2006 Total Fire Fatalities: 33

For details of any fire fatality from 2022-2006 please email  fminfo@dps.state.ia.us

National Fire Incident Reporting Systems

Iowa Image Trend Elite

Complete NFIRS Resource Guide may be found online.  

ImageTrend Elite Basic Training for Logging Fire Incidents

ImageTrend Elite remains free for your use to log your fire incidents and we encourage you to do so as completely and frequently as possible. Departments who continue to use other third party software will still be able to import your data into Elite.  

New Fire Department Agencies: To get your department set up in Elite, you will need to designate at least one Fire Department Administrator from your department. (It is possible to have more than one Fire Department Administrator.) To set up your Fire Department Administrator, please fill out and submit this form: Fire Department Administrator Application Form. Once your department has a Fire Department Administrator, that individual will be in charge of setting up additional members of your fire department with access and permissions.  

For questions regarding filing NFIRS data for your departments, viewing past submitted data, or any other NFIRS related questions, please email nfirs@dps.state.ia.us

For questions regarding filing EMS data for your departments, viewing past submitted data, or any other EMS related questions, please contact terry.smith@idph.iowa.gov

Iowa Code Chapter 147.113A requires any person licensed under Chapter 147 who administers any treatment to a person suffering a burn report that injury. Below is a general burn injury report form that may be used for reporting burn injuries. Please submit this form to the local law enforcement agency within whose jurisdiction the burn or burn injury occurred. Also email a copy of the form to the State Fire Marshal Division of the Iowa Department of Public Safety at fminfo@dps.state.ia.us for tracking purposes.

Iowa Burn Injury Report form

Iowa Firefighter Memorial

This page is dedicated in memory of Iowa's firefighters who have made the ultimate sacrifice and given their lives in the line of duty. The Iowa Firefighters Memorial is located north of Interstate 80 in Coralville, Iowa. It is a standing tribute to those that served Iowa's communities against the rages of fire. The mission of the memorial is to forever honor, celebrate and inspire the spirit, courage and service of Iowa firefighters - past, present and future. 

Juvenile Fire Intervention Program

We offer a regional program to reduce the number of fire injuries and deaths by providing evaluation, education, and redirection assistance to the children who exhibit fire setting behavior at no cost to the families affected. 

RESOURCES:

JFI Program Informational Brochure
JFI Program Delivery SOG
JFI Program Flow of Information
Oregon's Juvenile Firesetter Screening Tool Information

Reporting System: Youth Firesetting Information Repository & Evaluation System (YFIRS) found online at https://yfires.com/

To contact a juvenile fire setter program representative with the Juvenile Fire Intervention Program, please email fminfo@dps.state.ia.us