Page was retired June 2007. The FAQs are available on the WebFIRE site. Factor Information Retrieval System (FIRE)- Frequent Questions |Technology Transfer Network | Emissions Factors and Policy Applications Center| US EPA

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Factor Information Retrieval System (FIRE)
- Frequent Questions

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WHAT IS FIRE?

The Factor Information Retrieval (FIRE) Data System is a database management system containing EPA's recommended emission estimation factors for criteria and hazardous air pollutants. FIRE includes information about industries and their emitting processes, the chemicals emitted, and the emission factors themselves. FIRE allows easy access to criteria and hazardous air pollutant emission factors obtained from the Compilation Of Air Pollutant Emission Factors (AP 42), Locating and Estimating (L&E) documents, and the retired AFSEF and XATEF documents.


WHERE DID THE EMISSION FACTORS IN FIRE COME FROM?

Emission Factors in FIRE were originally taken from AFSEF and XATEF. AFSEF was a booklet that documented all emission factors for criterial pollutants (CO, Nox, PM, PM-10, SO2, VOC and Lead) that existed in the AIRS mainframe look-up tables as of March 1990. XATEF was a PC database that contained emission factors for toxic air pollutants through October 1990. FIRE combined these two sources with emission factors from the Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, Volume I, Stationary Point and Area Sources. Over the years poorly documented emission factors have been deleted or updated as data was available. In current and future releases of FIRE outdated emission factors will be marked "revoked".


ARE AP 42 SUPPLEMENTS INCLUDED IN FIRE?

Yes, 5th edition supplements and updates through September 2004 are included in FIRE. For further information see the AP 42 supplements web page.


HOW UP TO DATE ARE THE FIRE SCCS?

The SCCs in FIRE 6.25 are current through September 2004.


WHAT DO THE EMISSIONS FACTORS RATINGS MEAN?

The following information is from the Introduction of the Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission Factors, Volume I: Stationary Point and Area Sources.

Emission factor ratings are best characterized as follows:

  • A = Excellent. Emission factor is developed primarily from A- and B-rated source test data taken from many randomly chosen facilities in the industry population. The source category population is sufficiently specific to minimize variability.
  • B = Above average. Emission factor is developed primarily from A- or B-rated test data from a moderate number of facilities. Although no specific bias is evident, is not clear if the facilities tested represent a random sample of the industry. As with the A rating, the source category population is sufficiently specific to minimize variability.
  • C = Average. Emission factor is developed primarily from A-, B-, and C-rated test data from a reasonable number of facilities. Although no specific bias is evident, it is not clear if the facilities tested represent a random sample of the industry. As with the A rating, the source category population is sufficiently specific to minimize variability.
  • D = Below average. Emission factor is developed primarily from A-, B- and C-rated test data from a small number of facilities, and there may be reason to suspect that these facilities do not represent a random sample of the industry. There also may be evidence of variability within the source population.
  • E = Poor. Factor is developed from C- and D-rated test data from a very few number of facilities, and there may be reason to suspect that the facilities tested do not represent a random sample of the industry. There also may be evidence of variability within the source category population.
  • U = Unrated (Only used in the L&E documents). Emission factor is developed from source tests which have not been thoroughly evaluated, research papers, modeling data, or other sources that may lack supporting documentation. The data are not necessarily "poor," but there is not enough information to rate the factors according to the rating protocol. "U" ratings are commonly found in L&E documents and FIRE rather than in AP 42.

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