NERIS FAQ | NERIS Specification | NERIS Fire Department Specification | NERIS Incident Specification

 

NERIS Draft Specification

Note: NERIS is currently a draft specification (where this is based upon version: V0.1 - December 2023) and is subject to change.

Fire Department Specification

The NERIS fire department specification details the department, the community it protects, and the services the department provides. Further, this breaks down the stations, and other department resources.

Finally, there is also some additional NERIS maintenance metadata for the department, such has who to contact for the data.

• Data Framework Overview - the data values, and their definitions.
• Data Framework Details - further details on the data.
• Data Framework Examples - examples of the data.

  

Data Framework

The data framework provides fields and definitions for the data.

General

• fd_neris_id - This 10 digit integer is a unique identifer for each fire department. Entity type plus state and county FIPS plus with random trailing characters.
• fd_id_legacy - Legacy FDID for linkage to other data sets
• fd_name - The name of the Fire Department
• fd_relationship - Is this a parent of child on another department
• fd_name_sub - The name of the Sub-FireDepartment or Parent-FireDepartment depending on relationhip status
• fd_address_1 - Physical address of department HQ
• fd_address_2 - Additional address information
• fd_city - City in which fire department is located
• fd_state - State in which fire department is located
• fd_zip - Zip Code in which fire deparmtnet is located
• fd_mailing_address - The mailing address for the fire department, if different from the headquarters
• fd_latlong - The coordinates of the fire department headquarters
• fd_email - The email address of the fire department
• fd_website - The website of the fire department
• fd_type - The staffing qualification of the department
• fd_organization - The category which describes the organization of the department
• fd_gis - fd_gis
• fd_battalion - The polygon/geographic footprint of the district-based supervisio of the department.  
   

Population

• fd_population_protected - The number of people protected within the department’s coverage area
• fd_population_protected_source - The data source from which the population count was pulled
• fd_station_count - The number of stations in the department  
   

Services

• fd_fire_services - The services the department offers
• fd_ems_services - IF the Department offers EMS Services, the type of services offered
• fd_investigation_services - IF the Department offers Investigation Services, the tpye of services offered
• fd_continue_education - Does the department have a continuing education/training policy  
   

Shift

• fd_shift_count - The number of shifts a department utilizes
• fd_shift_duration - The duration of a shift in hours
• fd_shift_signup - The current shift schedule upon NERIS activation  
   

Dispatch.Response

• dispatch_center_id - The 4-digit unique identifier for each PSAP dispatch center being requested to respond to an incident
• dispatch_psap_type - The type of dispatch center being requested
• dispatch_psap_jurisdiction - The aggregation level of dispatch center
• dispatch_psap_discipline - Whether dispatch is single entity or multiple entity
• dispatch_psap_capability - Whether PSAP follows most reacent NENA standards
• dispatch_cad_software - The manufacturer of the CAD system being used
• dispatch_protocol - The procedure/protocal followed for triaging emergency calls
• dispatch_avl_usage - Describes whether the CAD utilizes AVL technology
• rms_software - The manufacturer of the RMS Software being used  
   

Station (nested under department for each station and then each unit within that station)

• station_id - The name of the department station
• station_address - The address of the station
• station_latitude - The latitude of the station
• station_longitude - The longitude of the station
• station_first_due - The polygon/geographic footprint of the station’s coverage area (first due)
• station_staffing - The typical staffing assigned to the station
• station_battalion - The battalion the station falls into.  
   

Station.Unit

• station_unit_id - The name of the unit as dispatched
• station_unit_capability - If department has CAD, how unit is designated
• station_unit_staffing - The typical staffing assigned to the unit  
   

Staffing

• staff_total - The number of total staff within the department
• staff_active_firefighters_career - The total number of active career firefighters in the department
• staff_active_firefighters_volunteer - The total number of active volunteer firefighters in the department
• staff_active_firefighters_ppc - The total number of active paid-per-call firefighters in the department
• staff_active_ems_only_career - The total number of active career ems only staff in the department
• staff_active_ems_only_volunteer - The total number of active volunteer ems only staff in the department
• staff_active_ems_only_ppc - The total number of active paid-per-call ems only staff in the department
• staff_active_civilians_career - The total number of active career civilians in the department
• staff_active_civilians_volunteer - The total number of active volunteer civilians in the department  
   

Dept.Attributes

• assess_iso_rating - Current ISO rating of the department, if applicable
• assess_cpse_acredit - Is department department accredited through CPSE
• assess_caas_acredit - Is department department accredited through CASS  
   

Contact

• fd_contact_name - Name of the person to contact regarding departmental data
• fd_contact_title - Title of the person to contact regarding departmental data
• fd_contact_phone - Phone number of the person to contact regarding departmental data
• fd_contact_email - Email address of the person to contact regarding departmental data  
   

Data Framework Details

General

Attribute	Definition	Comment	Mandatory
fd_neris_id	This 10 digit integer is a unique identifer for each fire department. Entity type plus state and county FIPS plus with random trailing characters.	See id_types sheet	Yes
fd_id_legacy	Legacy FDID for linkage to other data sets		No
fd_name	The name of the Fire Department		Yes
fd_relationship	Is this a parent of child on another department	If child, specify number	Yes
fd_name_sub	The name of the Sub-FireDepartment or Parent-FireDepartment depending on relationhip status	This could be multiple children, singular parent	No
fd_address_1	Physical address of department HQ		Yes
fd_address_2	Additional address information		No
fd_city	City in which fire department is located		Yes
fd_state	State in which fire department is located		Yes
fd_zip	Zip Code in which fire deparmtnet is located		Yes
fd_mailing_address	The mailing address for the fire department, if different from the headquarters		Yes
fd_latlong	The coordinates of the fire department headquarters		Yes
fd_email	The email address of the fire department		No
fd_website	The website of the fire department		Yes
fd_type	The staffing qualification of the department		Yes
fd_organization	The category which describes the organization of the department		Yes
fd_gis	fd_gis		Yes
fd_battalion	The polygon/geographic footprint of the district-based supervisio of the department.	For smaller agencies with no or a single battalion/district: fd_gis = fd_battalion	No

  

Population

Attribute	Definition	Comment	Mandatory
fd_population_protected	The number of people protected within the department’s coverage area		Yes
fd_population_protected_source	The data source from which the population count was pulled
fd_station_count	The number of stations in the department		Yes

  

Services

Attribute	Definition	Comment	Mandatory
fd_fire_services	The services the department offers	See fd_services sheet	Yes
fd_ems_services	IF the Department offers EMS Services, the type of services offered	See ems_services sheet	Yes
fd_investigation_services	IF the Department offers Investigation Services, the tpye of services offered	See investigate_services sheet	Yes
fd_continue_education	Does the department have a continuing education/training policy		Yes

  

Shift

Attribute	Definition	Comment	Mandatory
fd_shift_count	The number of shifts a department utilizes	Only for career/combination departments. The number of shifts working in a field capacity providing emergency response servies.	Yes, IF
fd_shift_duration	The duration of a shift in hours	Duration of each shift.	Yes
fd_shift_signup	The current shift schedule upon NERIS activation	This allows us to sync with schedule to allow data to be filtered by shift. (In this example (lines 31-33) it would indicate a 24-48 hour shift.	Yes

  

Dispatch.Response

Attribute	Definition	Comment	Mandatory
dispatch_center_id	The 4-digit unique identifier for each PSAP dispatch center being requested to respond to an incident		Yes
dispatch_psap_type	The type of dispatch center being requested	A primary PSAP is an emergency communication center responsible for answering the intial 9-1-1 call. A secondary PSAP receives emergency calls transferred from a primary PSAP due to jurisdictional call sequencing (PSAP X receives neutral 911 calls and transfers to Secondary PSAP Y or Z) or discipline specific dispatching (PSAP X receives all 911 calls for a jurisdiction but a secondary PSAP Y handles fire and EMS calls).	Yes
dispatch_psap_jurisdiction	The aggregation level of dispatch center	A single-jurisdiction is a facility where only one political entity (city/county) utilizes the 9-1-1, PSAP and dispatching services. A multi-jurisdictional facility is where one or more public safety political jurisdictioms choose to operate as a single 9-1-1 entity (e.g., City A, B, C)	Yes
dispatch_psap_discipline	Whether dispatch is single entity or multiple entity	A single discipline facility operates one disciplines of dispatch (e.g., fire or EMS or police). A multiple discipline facility operates multi-disciplines of dispatch (e.g., fire-EMS-police).	Yes
dispatch_psap_capability	Whether PSAP follows most reacent NENA standards	A legacy PSAP cannot process calls received via i3-defined call interfaces (IP-based calls) and still requires the use of CAMA or ISDN trunk technology for delivery of 9-1-1 emergency calls. A NG9-1-1 PSAP can process calls and access data services as defined in NENA’s i3 specification, NENA-STA-010.	Yes
dispatch_cad_software	The manufacturer of the CAD system being used	If No CAD, select None.	Yes
dispatch_protocol	The procedure/protocal followed for triaging emergency calls		No
dispatch_avl_usage	Describes whether the CAD utilizes AVL technology		Yes
rms_software	The manufacturer of the RMS Software being used	If No RMS, select None	Yes

  

Station (nested under department for each station and then each unit within that station)

Attribute	Definition	Comment	Mandatory
station_id	The name of the department station		Yes
station_address	The address of the station		Yes
station_latitude	The latitude of the station		Yes
station_longitude	The longitude of the station		Yes
station_first_due	The polygon/geographic footprint of the station’s coverage area (first due)	Station-based only	No
station_staffing	The typical staffing assigned to the station	This is separate from unit staffing since stations can cross staff unit.	Yes
station_battalion	The battalion the station falls into.	Allows us to tie station to larger response area, even if shapefiles are not available.	No

  

Station.Unit

Attribute	Definition	Comment	Mandatory
station_unit_id	The name of the unit as dispatched	See unit_types sheet	Yes
station_unit_capability	If department has CAD, how unit is designated	Link with CAD_schema	Yes
station_unit_staffing	The typical staffing assigned to the unit		Yes

  

Staffing

Attribute	Definition	Comment	Mandatory
staff_total	The number of total staff within the department		Yes
staff_active_firefighters_career	The total number of active career firefighters in the department		Yes, IF
staff_active_firefighters_volunteer	The total number of active volunteer firefighters in the department		Yes, IF
staff_active_firefighters_ppc	The total number of active paid-per-call firefighters in the department		Yes, IF
staff_active_ems_only_career	The total number of active career ems only staff in the department		Yes, IF
staff_active_ems_only_volunteer	The total number of active volunteer ems only staff in the department		Yes, IF
staff_active_ems_only_ppc	The total number of active paid-per-call ems only staff in the department		Yes, IF
staff_active_civilians_career	The total number of active career civilians in the department		Yes, IF
staff_active_civilians_volunteer	The total number of active volunteer civilians in the department		Yes, IF

  

Dept.Attributes

Attribute	Definition	Comment	Mandatory
assess_iso_rating	Current ISO rating of the department, if applicable		No
assess_cpse_acredit	Is department department accredited through CPSE		No
assess_caas_acredit	Is department department accredited through CASS		No

  

Contact

Attribute	Definition	Comment	Mandatory
fd_contact_name	Name of the person to contact regarding departmental data		Yes
fd_contact_title	Title of the person to contact regarding departmental data		Yes
fd_contact_phone	Phone number of the person to contact regarding departmental data		Yes
fd_contact_email	Email address of the person to contact regarding departmental data		Yes

  

Data Framework Examples

General

Attribute	Example
fd_neris_id	FD06067001
fd_id_legacy	51001
fd_name	Fairfax County Fire Rescue
fd_relationship	Parent, Child, No
fd_name_sub	ABC Volunteer Fire Company
fd_address_1	1234 Market St
fd_address_2	Apt. Number
fd_city	Baltimore
fd_state	Maryland
fd_zip	21230
fd_mailing_address
fd_latlong	38.927036, -77.032742
fd_email	info.fems@dc.gov
fd_website	https://fems.dc.gov/
fd_type	Career, Volunteer, Combination
fd_organization	local, tribal government, state government, transportation authority or airport fire department, federal government-executive branch agency, federal government-DOD, private or industrial fire brigade, contract fire department
fd_gis	POLYGON(-156.672811 20.884270, -156.672574 20.884463, -156.672335 20.884656, -156.672249 20.884736, -156.672172)
fd_battalion	POLYGON(-156.672811 20.884270, -156.672574 20.884463, -156.672335 20.884656, -156.672249 20.884736, -156.672172)

  

Population

Attribute	Example
fd_population_protected	392,000
fd_population_protected_source	US census, etc.
fd_station_count	16

  

Services

Attribute	Example
fd_fire_services	EMS, WUI, Aviation, etc.
fd_ems_services	ALS, BLS, etc.
fd_investigation_services	Power to arrest, fire prevention, etc.
fd_continue_education	Yes

  

Shift

Attribute	Example
fd_shift_count	3
fd_shift_duration	24
fd_shift_signup	3

  

Dispatch.Response

Attribute	Example
dispatch_center_id	4311
dispatch_psap_type	Primary or Secondary
dispatch_psap_jurisdiction	Single or Multiple
dispatch_psap_discipline	Single or Multiple
dispatch_psap_capability	Legacy or NG9-1-1
dispatch_cad_software	Motorola, etc.
dispatch_protocol	ProQA, IAED, APCO
dispatch_avl_usage	(Y/N)
rms_software	ESO, etc.

  

Station (nested under department for each station and then each unit within that station)

Attribute	Example
station_id	12
station_address	2225 5TH STREET NE 20002
station_latitude	38.919914
station_longitude	-76.999184
station_first_due
station_staffing	14
station_battalion	1

  

Station.Unit

Attribute	Example
station_unit_id	E801, TK720, A301
station_unit_capability	Engine, Ambulance, HazMat, etc
station_unit_staffing	4

  

Staffing

Attribute	Example
staff_total	333
staff_active_firefighters_career	190
staff_active_firefighters_volunteer	43
staff_active_firefighters_ppc	50
staff_active_ems_only_career	34
staff_active_ems_only_volunteer	5
staff_active_ems_only_ppc	19
staff_active_civilians_career	38
staff_active_civilians_volunteer	12

  

Dept.Attributes

Attribute	Example
assess_iso_rating	2
assess_cpse_acredit	Yes
assess_caas_acredit	Yes

  

Contact

Attribute	Example
fd_contact_name	Mike Kennedy
fd_contact_title	Captain
fd_contact_phone	2026733320
fd_contact_email	mkennedy@dc.gov

  

  

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