SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard: A Public Health Approach
The Houston Health Department (HHD) tracks firearm injuries as part of the city’s proactive, public health approach to preventing harm. Initiated through a budget amendment introduced by Council Member Abbie Kamin, the dashboard is the first tool in the nation to integrate Level I trauma center clinical data with emergency response systems and other citywide sources—offering the most comprehensive picture of firearm injuries in any American city.
The dashboard brings together data from:
- Healthcare Data: Level I trauma centers; Emergency department visits (via syndromic surveillance)
- First Responder Data: EMS/911 calls for pre-hospital transport; Police/Sheriff-reported non-fatal injuries
- Outcome Data: Death (mortality) records
By combining health, public safety, and mortality data, the dashboard reveals critical trends that traditional crime statistics overlook. Specifically, it exposes the preventable tragedy of unintentional firearm injuries—which account for roughly one in five trauma-treated injuries and disproportionately affect children and young adults. This unified view highlights who is most vulnerable, where injuries occur, and how patterns differ across assault, self-harm, and accidental shootings.
Together, these data sources provide a comprehensive view of firearm injury as a major public health concern in Houston. The dashboard is an evidence-based tool that identifies vulnerable populations, distinguishes intent (assault, self-harm, accidental), and allows violence prevention initiatives to develop highly targeted, effective strategies to reduce harm.
Disclaimer: Any interpretations, conclusions or recommendations derived from the data presented in this dashboard belong solely to the external user or researcher. They do not reflect the opinions, official stance, or policies of the Houston Health Department.
Suggested Citation: Houston Health Department. (Updated YYYY, Mon DD) “SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard: A Public Health Approach”. Accessed on [DATE] from https://www.houstonhealth.org/safewatch
Dashboard Update Schedule: The Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard is updated quarterly in January, April, July, and October.
For more information on the purpose of this dashboard and instructions on how to navigate it, please see the “General Dashboard FAQs” tab below.
If you are interested in using or requesting any of the data from the dashboard for research, publications, grant proposals, or similar products, please see the “Research/Publication/Data Request FAQs” tab below.
Contact information: DataSciences@houstontx.gov
The HHD extends its gratitude to the partners whose data and collaboration make this tool possible: Council Member Abbie Kamin, Houston Fire Department, Houston Police Department, Harris County Medical Examiner Office, UTHealth Houston McGovern Medical School, Harris Health System/Ben Taub Hospital, Memorial Hermann Health System, and Texas Children’s Hospital.
Data documentation notes:
- To comply with City of Houston data privacy guidelines, counts below five are suppressed.
- Due to reporting lags and updates to medical or law enforcement records, dashboards may show slight shifts in data with each quarterly refresh.
- Because each source provides de-identified data, individuals may appear across multiple systems. Counts should not be added across sources.
What is the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injury Dashboard?
The dashboard is a public health tool developed in part by Houston District C Council Member Abbie Kamin and the Houston Health Department (HHD) to show real-time trends in firearm-related injuries across Houston. It integrates data from Level I trauma centers (Ben Taub, Texas Children’s Hospital, Memorial Hermann), emergency departments, EMS/911, police, and
mortality records to deliver a comprehensive picture of firearm incidents citywide.
Where is the dashboard located?
The dashboard is hosted by the Houston Health Department website at: HoustonHealth.org/SafeWatch
What information is available on the dashboard?
With data dating back to 2019, the dashboard enables users to explore patterns by:
- Intent (accidental, assault, self-harm)
- Age, sex, and race
- ZIP code of residence and ZIP code of incident
- Day of week, time of day, and seasonal trends
- Location type (home, vehicle, public space)
- Survival outcomes and injury severity trends
This helps identify trends—such as high-risk times, locations, and populations—that support data-informed prevention and policy decisions.
Why was the SAFEWatch Dashboard created?
The dashboard emerged after Council Member Abbie Kamin recognized fragmented data was preventing a unified view of the scope and drivers of firearm injuries. She pushed for local funding, worked with the Houston Health Department, and brought hospital systems together to build a tool the city needed to fully understand the problem and respond.
What makes this dashboard different from other firearm injury dashboards?
Houston’s SAFE Watch Dashboard is the first in the nation to integrate Level I trauma center clinical data with EMS, emergency department, police, and mortality datasets—offering a far more accurate and comprehensive picture of firearm injuries than police reports alone.
Which data sources are included?
The dashboard combines anonymized data from:
- Emergency department visits (syndromic surveillance)
- Level I trauma centers (Ben Taub, Memorial Hermann, Texas Children’s Hospital)
- EMS/911 calls
- Law enforcement-reported injuries
- Medical Examiner mortality records
The data includes intent, demographics, locations, timing, and outcomes—providing a comprehensive view of firearm trends and helping the city understand who is most affected, when risks are highest, and where prevention efforts are most urgently needed.
How often is the data updated?
Dashboard data is updated quarterly in January, April, July, and October.
Who can use this dashboard?
This is a public health tool designed to provide actionable data to help the community with intervention and preventive
strategies. It’s available to the public including:
Residents and neighborhood groups who want to learn more about firearm incidents in specific areas.
Healthcare providers and trauma centers who want to reduce the number of injuries or fatalities and further prevention and intervention strategies.
- Community organizations that implement programming and initiatives.
- Researchers, journalists, and students who identify trends that drive conversations about public health issues.
- Local policymakers and city departments in their efforts to secure funding for intervention, education, and prevention strategies.
How does the dashboard work?
Users can toggle between filters to explore data from different sources. The data sources are organized by tabs on the top of the dashboard:
- Emergency department (ED) visits: Syndromic surveillance data from the Houston Health Department and the Electronic Surveillance System for the Early Notification of Community Based Epidemics (Essence)
- Trauma center visits: Level I trauma center visits from Ben Taub General Hospital (Harris Health System), Memorial Hermann Health System, and Texas Children’s Hospital’s electronic medical records system.
- EMS/911 calls: Houston Fire Department, ImageTrend database
- Police-reported non-fatal injuries: Houston Police Department Record Management System
- Deaths: Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences (Medical Examiner’s Office)
After selecting a data source, users can filter by year, sex, age group, race, and ethnicity. Each data source has its own set of filters. To reset a selected filter, click it again and the dashboard will return to showing all data.
How is patient privacy protected?
All data is anonymized, aggregated, and HIPAA-compliant. No personally identifiable information is included.
Why do some categories show “<5” instead of exact numbers?
Why are some records suppressed?
To protect privacy, numbers below 5 are suppressed in accordance with the City of Houston’s data privacy guidelines.
Why do the data points sometimes change between quarterly updates?
Hospitals, EMS, and law enforcement agencies update their records over time. When the dashboard refreshes each quarter, some past counts may shift slightly due to corrected or newly submitted data.
What are unintentional shootings, and why are they highlighted?
Unintentional injuries (often called accidental shootings) make up about one in five trauma-treated firearm injuries, and a
significant portion involve children and young adults. These incidents usually do not generate police reports, so the
dashboard fills a major gap in understanding and prevention.
How can I select multiple categories under each filter?
Press and hold the “Ctrl” key to select multiple categories under each filter. For example, to select all firearm injuries in
individuals aged 0-24 in the years 2024 and 2025, press and hold “Ctrl” when selecting each age group and year to filter to these combined categories.
Using the Houston Health Department (HHD) SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard for Research, Proposals, Products, and/or Publications
Please read through this document in its entirety, as it contains answers to many of the questions that you may have.
Suggested Citation: Houston Health Department. (Updated YYYY, Mon DD) “SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard: A Public Health Approach”. Accessed on [DATE] from https://www.houstonhealth.org/safewatch
Q: I am using data from the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard for my research/proposal/publication/etc. Do I need to include a citation?
A: Yes, please include a citation to the SAFEWatch Firearm Injuries Dashboard if you are using any of the data from the dashboard – see the suggested citation at the beginning of this document.
Q: Do I need a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or Data Use Agreement (DUA) to use data that are publicly available on the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard?
A: You do not need an MOU or a DUA to use the data that are publicly available on the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard. However, we request that you include a citation to the dashboard in any products that use its data – see the suggested citation at the beginning of this document.
If you are requesting more granular data than what are publicly available on the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard, then HHD will require a MOU/DUA among other requirements as outlined in the question below.
Q: I am interested in using data from the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard for my research/proposal/publication/etc.
• What data is the Houston Health Department (HHD) able to share from the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard?
• Are there data from certain data sources that HHD is unable to share?
• What steps do I need to take?
A: If you are exclusively using the data that is publicly available on the SAFEWatch Firearm Injuries Dashboard, there are no additional steps needed besides a citation to the dashboard – see the suggested citation at the beginning of this document.
If you are interested in receiving more granularity in the ESSENCE Emergency Department data than what is publicly available on the dashboard (e.g., different age groupings, daily counts, etc.), the Houston Health Department will require:
1) The request to be submitted to and approved by HHD’s Institutional Review Committee (IRC). You can learn more about HHD’s IRC application process here: https://www.houstonhealth.org/about/Institutional-review-committee
2) A signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)/Data Use Agreement (DUA). As part of the MOU/DUA, HHD will also request clauses related to authorship for any publications that arise with use of these data.
Please note that any data request will be subject to HHD suppression rules.
If you are interested in receiving more granularity in any of the other datasets (e.g., trauma center visits, 911/EMS ambulance calls, police-reported non-fatal injuries, or deaths), HHD cannot share more granular data than what is publicly available on the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard. You must reach out to the original data owners directly.
Contact HHD at DataSciences@houstontx.gov for more details.
Q: Can I receive the aggregated data that feeds into the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard?
A: The Houston Health Department (HHD) can provide the aggregated data as displayed on the publicly available SAFEWatch Firearm Dashboard.
Please note that any data request will be subject to HHD suppression rules.
Q: Can I receive the line-level data that feeds into the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard?
A: No. The Houston Health Department does not share line-level data.
Q: Can I receive the data with a geography more granular than ZIP code level?
A: No. The Houston Health Department cannot provide data at a more granular level than ZIP code for any of the data sources in the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard.
Q: What definitions were used to identify firearm-related records in each of the datasets and for the variables included in the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard?
A: All definitions that were used to identify records and define variables are included in the “Additional Notes” tab on the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard.
If you have further questions or would like to connect regarding using data from the SAFEWatch Houston Firearm Injuries Dashboard, please contact us at DataSciences@houstontx.gov.
Helpful Resources
Page last reviewed: July 21, 2026