Today, the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) launched, marking a major advancement in incident data collection for U.S. fire departments. This secure, cloud-based platform delivers all-hazards data and analytic tools that will empower fire and EMS leaders to enhance community safety and make better operational decisions.

NERIS, developed in collaboration with fire and emergency service professionals, is an initiative led by the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI), part of UL Research Institutes, in collaboration with the United States Fire Administration (USFA). 

NERIS is built to address emerging challenges, including lithium-ion battery fires, wildland-urban interface incidents, and extreme weather conditions. After extensive beta testing with over 60 departments, NERIS Version 1 will now onboard 100 additional departments by the end of 2024. This is part of a phased adoption strategy that will test the new platform at every step.

Beginning in January 2025, NERIS will undergo a 12-month nationwide rollout, eventually replacing the legacy National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) as the primary reporting tool for fire and emergency response for the nation’s approximately 27,000 fire departments.

How NERIS Will Support the Fire Service:

• Enhanced Resource Advocacy: NERIS will help departments convey staffing and resource needs by enabling a clearer understanding of the complexity of emergency response.
• Informed Resource Allocation: By making geospatial information a core component, departments will be able to make data-informed decisions on the placement of personnel, apparatus, and stations.
• Risk Insights: NERIS will provide a shared view of risks at local, state, and national levels and support local risk reduction efforts.
• Service Performance: Access to near-real-time data will help departments identify and address gaps.

“NERIS represents a new era for the fire service. It will put actionable data in the hands of our firefighters, giving them tools to better protect their communities and manage resources effectively.”

-Dr. Steve Kerber, FSRI Vice President and Executive Director

“Next 100” Departments

The selected departments were chosen from a group of more than 650 departments nationwide that submitted interest in being early adopters. These invited 'Next 100' include a broad cross-section of the fire service community, encompassing career, volunteer, and combination departments in a broad geographic distribution.

●   Nationwide Inclusion: The onboarding includes departments from 48 states, providing diverse geographical representation.

●   Population Diversity: Roughly two thirds of selected departments represent cities with populations of less than 100,000, while 17 metro departments are also included.

●   Volunteer Focus: More than 25 percent of selected departments are all-volunteer or mostly volunteer companies.

●   Geographic Clusters: Several geographic clusters of departments are included to facilitate the testing and evaluation of mutual and automatic aid reporting aspects of the system.

FSRI will work closely with the newly onboarded departments to ensure that NERIS is fully equipped to handle the dynamic and evolving demands of emergency response data management. Version 1 is the first step to a phased onboarding of the nation’s fire service.

For more information and updates on NERIS:

Read the Press Release.

Visit the new NERIS website.

Explore the FSRI NERIS Program Page.

Confirmed NERIS Version 1 Department Participants ('The Next 100')