Research Corner: NERIS—Firefighting Data in the Digital Age
Aug. 9, 2024
“America Burning” was released 51 years ago. The publication and the momentum that it created produced measurable change in the fire service. The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) and the National Fire Academy were created. Financial resources became available to begin to understand fire-related risk, and nationally coordinated efforts were instituted. The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) was conceived to begin to understand the quantity and type of emergencies that affected U.S. firefighters and to measure the effect of strategies to reduce firefighter and civilian casualties.
In “America Burning,” the word “data” appears more than 60 times. In fact, it’s used more than the words “fire truck” and “fire station.” This is evidence that 51 years ago we recognized that the battlefield for making firefighters safer and for protecting the civilian population starts with understanding data. Data are needed to support change. Today, more than ever, our profession must recognize that, although resources, including apparatus and firefighters, are essential to responding to incidents in our communities, an equally critical resource is data.
NFIRS was the United States’ first attempt at understanding fire and other emergency incident responses. For the past 20 years, the system was relatively unchanged while the response types and community risk that was experienced by firefighters evolved. Whether it’s lithium-ion battery fires or community paramedicine, NFIRS constrains our ability to properly assess performance, deployment and risk. Further, external data sets that can be used to better characterize the response ecosystem sat underutilized.
The National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) is being developed to change all of that.
The ‘how’ and ‘why’
In May 2023, the USFA, the Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate and the Fire Safety Research Institute, which is part of UL Research Institutes, entered an agreement to develop NERIS. It will replace NFIRS to become the premier source of information for emergency responders in the United States.
NERIS is being designed from the start to be capable of adapting as the needs of the fire service demand. Simultaneously, it aims to make the reporting system better by putting the firefighter first when it comes to completing the incident report. Undoubtedly, this is no small task.
NERIS also will empower fire departments, by providing them with information and analytic tools to enhance preparedness and response. We know that firefighters aren’t excited naturally about data or informed decision-making, but in a data-driven world, it’s imperative that fire and EMS organizations have timely and accurate information at their fingertips. This information allows fire departments to:
- Properly allocate resources and advocate for additional staffing and equipment.
- Better understand community risk and vulnerable populations.
- Review response performance and assess distribution of resources.
The quality and accuracy of the NERIS incident report will be improved compared with its NFIRS counterpart.
The primary beneficiary of accurate and timely incident information is the firefighter. For too many years, firefighters have viewed incident reports as nothing more than a chore, often prioritized as something just slightly more important than taking out the fire station trash. NFIRS required firefighters to fill out information about the “what” and the “where” when it came to incident reports. NERIS will help us answer the “how” and “why.” Simply put, much of the narrative of modern-day firefighting and emergency response occurs after the apparatus’ parking brake is set.
More detail
The actions and tactics that are utilized by firefighters on the incident scene, coupled with the environment in which they must operate, present important data elements that should be collected. In the development of NERIS, careful effort has been made to ensure that tactical timestamps, such as when water is applied to the fire or when a rapid intervention team is established, are incorporated into the available information that can be submitted on applicable incidents. The values of the actions and tactics that can be utilized include an expanded list that incorporates science-based tactics and information that will serve to tell more about the incident post-arrival. This includes the ability for firefighters to enter tactics that include:
- Various command-level functions (safety officer, public information officer, etc.).
- Specific tactics that are used for suppression, ventilation and search.
- An enhanced list of wildfire actions and tactics.
- Contamination-reduction on scene and on return to quarters.
Incident types are expanded and described in a commonsense manner to make describing an incident, particularly a complex one, easier. With NERIS, firefighters will be able to select as many as three incident types to describe a single response, to avoid having to triage perceived importance of a single incident type during data collection. Further, the use of numeric codes was replaced by language that’s common to the fire service. Other valuable metrics, such as rescues, evacuations, displacements and maydays, are able to be noted, as are incident characteristics that describe whether the incident was a mass casualty incident or involved an active assailant.
Member engagement
Even with the modernization of the national incident reporting system, the most persistent variable to quality incident data is the culture and attitude of the fire service. Members must engage with NERIS and understand that their input directly affects decisions that are made regarding essential resources. Having access to critical data improves decision-making at all levels of a department, and each member of a department can help to make sure that information is accurate and current.
Implementation & benefits
NERIS will require an update to a department’s current records management system software. Alternatively, departments may use the free NERIS app for collecting incident data. Once the new system is in place, it also will be capable of integrating information from a computer-
aided dispatch (CAD) system. This integration will enable the development of a comprehensive “story” of each incident, from the moment that the call was received to when the last fire company or EMS unit departed from the scene.
A distinct benefit of the new system will be the availability of basic analytics and reports to local fire departments. Furthermore, this is an offering that’s likely to expand over time. This capability will be the first time that some of the 26,000-plus U.S. fire departments will see a dividend from any of the data that they submit.
On the horizon
NERIS isn’t conceptual. This system is being built, tested and deployed as you read this column. NFIRS is slated to be discontinued on Jan. 1, 2026, which requires careful choreography with the ongoing launch of NERIS. You can help with this critical data paradigm shift by making sure that your department is ready, asks questions and considers how to transition to the incident reporting process.
Important steps to take include:
Designate a point of contact. Preferably, this should be someone who is very familiar with the existing software(s) that the department uses and understands the details of the department’s operations.
Evaluate current software. Determine the software that the department currently uses for both CAD and records management and whether that software provider(s), if appropriate, is preparing to transition to NERIS.
Understand your geography. Gather information regarding the department’s geography. Response boundaries and other special geospatial elements are important to NERIS, because it can help to determine performance and risk.
Familiarize with operational details. Make sure that the department’s point of contact is properly familiar with the operating details of the organization. NERIS will include information on the baseline resources and operational framework for individual departments. This factor makes it important that the point of contact at the department understands many details of the organization.
Prepare
The transition to NERIS represents a significant leap forward in the way that we approach incident reporting. By embracing this change, we can ensure that departments are equipped with the tools that they need to effectively respond to emergencies and to protect their community.
If you have questions or want to learn more about NERIS, visit fsri.org/programs/neris or email [email protected].
About the Author
Craig Weinschenk
Craig Weinschenk serves as the principal investigator on development of the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS). His previous research includes full-scale residential fire experiments that were designed to characterize the thermal environment that’s within the structure as well as exposed firefighter PPE. Weinschenk holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas-Austin.
About the Author
Tom Jenkins
Tom Jenkins serves as the fire service advisor and research manager on the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) project. He is a retired fire chief and also serves as a research advisor at the Fire Safety Research Institute. Jenkins is a previous president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs and serves on FEMA’s National Advisory Council.
About the Author
Dustin Andres
Dustin Andres is a senior research amplification specialist at the Fire Safety Research Institute who focuses on the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS). He holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from the University of Washington. Andres has extensive on-the-ground communication and outreach experience, having lived and worked in more than 15 countries.
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