By Doug Nelson and Marcy Ost
As we near closer to 2025, we are going to start sending regular updates through this medium regarding the transition from NFIRS to National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS). Though we do not have many details at this point, we are working to share what we do know. We will blog and update about the transition for the next few months (or year) to help keep you informed.
The National Fire Incident Reporting System, or NFIRS, will shut down effective January 1, 2026. It will be replaced by the National Emergency Response Information System, or NERIS. This transition is scheduled to take place throughout 2025.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office will still require fire departments to report fires as stated under North Dakota Century Codes 18-01-06 and 18-01-04. This means that fire departments will still need to report every 30 days (if you have an incident to report) and in a manner consistent with the requirements of the United States Fire Administration’s fire data collection system. Our office will still have access to all state-wide data and will report that each month and in our annual fire report. Until your fire department or district has transitioned to NERIS, please keep reporting in NFIRS.
The State Fire Marshal’s Office is scheduled to attend training at the National Fire Academy in January to learn more about the system and how fire departments will transition. We hope to have a better grasp of exactly how it will go after this meeting.
What we do know:
- Fire Department information is supposed to transfer over to the NERIS system from NFIRS automatically. So, if your fire department information is current in the NFIRS system, it should help your transition.
- Users will need to work directly with the staff at NERIS to access and log into the system.
- It is being reported by the United States Fire Administration that NERIS will be much simpler and easier to use. Our understanding is you will even be able to report fires via your cell phone.
- Some fire departments will be asked to switch to the new system in the winter or spring, but most of us will start reporting to NERIS in the summer or fall of 2025. Again, we hope to have a more detailed schedule in late January or early February.
- NFIRS is scheduled to be shut down on January 1st, 2026, so we will need everyone into the new NERIS system by December 31st, 2025 at the latest.
We know that many of you report using a third-party software, you will need to check with your software to learn if and how they are working through the transition as well.
If you would like to look deeper into the details of the NERIS transition, please visit the United States Fire Administration’s website. As always, if you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any other fire safety topic, please contact our office at infofm@nd.gov or (701)328-5555.