National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) Surpasses 15 million in All-Hazards Reporting

The National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) is now the nation's platform for fire and all-hazards incident reporting, surpassing 15 million incident reports collected. NERIS brings all-hazards emergency reporting into the digital age and replaces the legacy platform, the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS). FEMA, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), DHS' Science & Technology Directorate and Underwriters Laboratories' Fire Safety Research Institute collaborated to develop the NERIS platform. In support of President Donald J. Trump's Executive Order 14239, the platform has the capacity to deliver scalable, actionable intelligence for public safety officials and empowers state and local agencies to strengthen national resilience.

"Our work with USFA and NERIS is one way that FEMA empowers communities to invest in their disaster response and recovery capabilities. This helps ensure local fire and emergency services have more and better information to make real-time decisions," said Robert Fenton, Senior Official Performing the Duties of the FEMA Administrator.

NERIS went live on January 1, 2025, beginning the onboarding and reporting transition process for fire departments nationwide. The platform streamlines incident reporting by tracking near real-time data from more than 31,000 fire service and Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) organizations. NERIS currently collects and consolidates data from over 640,000 incident reports weekly, providing critical information needed for resource allocation and tactical planning. It helps fire service leaders, emergency managers and community governments at all levels better understand the risks within their community and empowers local responders to operationalize timely data to better respond to and prevent future incidents.

Of the more than 15 million incidents logged to date, 62% involve medical emergencies. The system's advanced analytics help agencies optimize resources, improve mutual aid and enhance community risk reduction. For the first time, NERIS was able to capture more than 3,700 firefighter-assisted civilian rescues during fireground operations. This is an example of data that has never been captured at the national level.

"Surpassing 15 million incident reports, NERIS marks a new era in emergency response-delivering the high-quality, near real-time data our nation needs to protect communities and save lives," said U.S. Fire Administrator, Paul Matheis. "As we look to the future, NERIS will continue to empower local fire and emergency services with the intelligence and innovation needed to meet evolving risks and strengthen America's resilience."

The FIFA World Cup 2026 spans 11 host cities in the U.S. and continues to draw millions of visitors from around the globe. NERIS added an incident modifier to the system that allows departments to associate individual incidents with a larger event. The modifier is designed to capture incidents directly or indirectly connected to World Cup activity. This will assist the 1,950 departments within 50 miles of host stadiums to determine any unique needs, take precautionary measures and keep communities safe.

Although incident reporting is not a requirement to apply for the Assistance to Firefighters Grants Program, fire departments that receive funding under this program must agree to provide information to NERIS for the period of performance covered by the assistance.

Learn more: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/nfirs/neris/ and https://neris.fsri.org/.