FireCARES, is a “big data” analytical system that provides important information to fire service and community leaders about their local fire department and the risk environment in which firefighters are called to respond. FireCARES includes more than a decade of research on structure fires and related injuries and death, as well as building footprints, housing and mobile home units, public health and census data, and locations of vulnerable populations. FireCARES combines large sets of data from various sources to “tell the story” of a fire department regarding its risk environment, resource capacity, and overall capability to respond to emergency incidents. FireCARES recently added more than 4 years of EMS response data to the system. These data provide the basis of EMS risk assessment and performance metrics for U.S. fire departments. The FireCARES project, funded by FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighter’s Grants, raises the bar for the technical discussion of community hazards and risks and the impact of changes to fire department resource levels.