NERIS is the coming replacement for NFIRS (National Fire Incident Reporting System) with goals to empower the fire community with real-time information and insights.
NERIS stands for National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS).
The National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) is a modernization and simplification of the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) for the United States Fire Administration (USFA).
NFIRS (the National Fire Incident Reporting System) originated in the 1970s and was due an overhaul to respond to modern needs. NERIS is both a modernization and simplification, where less is required of the end firefighter, of NFIRS, plus it includes GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and other modern technology.
‘NERIS reporting’ is reporting on fire department incidents (as NFIRS reporting has been to date) in order to gather insights into fire department current and future needs.
Check back here as we publish articles on USFA NERIS or subscribe to our newsletter. We’ll be following its progress as it rolls out some in 2024, and more in 2025. For an overview of the coming standard, check out the NERIS Specification.
There really is no competition since NERIS is being developed solely to replace NFIRS. NFIRS is for now, NERIS is for the future. (Pick a platform that helps you painlessly migrate from NFIRS to NERIS.)
NERIS is similar to NFIRS (especially since it captures information about fire incidents), that requires fewer fields and codes. Further, incident information is taken from Dispatch (CAD) when possible, saving the repeated data entry by firefighters.
NERIS does contain roughly the same modules as NFIRS, but is definitely a refinement and simplification. It is focused on what is needed today. Check out the Specification.
While the NERIS specification is currently being developed, check out an initial beta of the NERIS specification. At a high level the specification is simplified NFIRS with some significant modernization, plus some GIS additions and “emerging hazards” (ew.g. electric vehicles and equipment.)
NERIS separates “dispatched-to incident type” form “final incident type” and even allows multiple incident types, meaning you might arrive on a ‘Motor Vehicle Accident’ with the added complication of a ‘Powerline Down’. NERIS recognizes that what is toned to is not always what a fire department arrives at. Further some incidents are multiple issues in one.
See the list of NERIS Incident Types and how the map from NFIRS with this NFIRS to NERIS Incident Types.
If you want to go in depth, you can find more information on NERIS at both here USFA website, and on the FRSI website. We’ve posted the NERIS specification for review, both the May 2024 Beta Specification and the original Draft Specification.