On April 7th, NERIS hosted its first webinar since officially launching the NERIS platform, and it gave a clear look at where things stand today and where they’re headed next. The session moved beyond the transition from NFIRS and focused on what departments are experiencing in practice. The NERIS team walked through how the system is being used operationally, demonstrated new features like the upcoming Incident Analysis module, and answered some of the most common questions coming from departments across the country.
Between the product demos, roadmap updates, and live Q&A, there was a lot to take away.
Here’s what we learned.
What Departments Are Asking (and How NERIS Answered)
One of the most valuable parts of the webinar was the live Q&A session. These weren’t hypothetical questions. They came directly from departments across the country and reflect what people are actively trying to understand as they begin using NERIS in real-world operations. What stood out wasn’t just the answers themselves, but the consistency in how NERIS is thinking about the system: what it is designed to do, what it is intentionally not designed to do, and where departments will need to rely on other tools to fill in the gaps.
Why isn’t owner and occupant information a required field? Why can’t we include people in reports?
This question comes up frequently, and the answer speaks directly to one of the foundational design decisions behind NERIS.
The system was intentionally built to avoid collecting personally identifiable information (PII). Because incident records already include an address, adding names or occupant details would significantly change the security profile of the data. It would introduce additional risk, require stricter controls, and ultimately limit how the data could be shared and used at a national level. In fact, NERIS confirmed that even if this type of information is submitted, it is actively removed and not stored in the system at all. At the same time, they were clear that this information still has value at the local level. Their recommendation was not to stop collecting it, but rather to manage it outside of NERIS – either within a records management system (like RedAlert) or through other local data sources like tax assessor records.
The takeaway here is that NERIS is prioritizing broad usability and scalability of data over detailed local record keeping. Departments that need to track people associated with incidents will still need a separate system to do so.
What happened to property value and property loss fields?
Another major change from NFIRS is how NERIS handles property value and loss. The reasoning here is rooted in data quality. Historically, these fields were filled out inconsistently across departments. Some reports included extremely high values, others included minimal or placeholder values, and there was no standardized methodology for determining loss. As a result, the data was difficult to trust and even harder to analyze at scale. NERIS addressed this by removing property value and loss from the core incident report entirely. Instead, this information now lives in a separate “Incident Analysis” layer, where it can be handled in more detail and, most importantly, at a different point in the workflow. The idea is that firefighters completing reports immediately after an incident are not always in the best position to determine accurate property values. That level of detail is better suited for follow-up investigation. To supplement this, NERIS is also looking to incorporate parcel and tax assessment data to generate more consistent estimates of loss across incidents. What this ultimately does is simplify the initial reporting process while aiming to improve the consistency of data used for larger-scale analysis.
Are there plans to support local special study codes, similar to NFIRS +1 customizations?
NERIS took a firm stance on this: local customization of codes, like the NFIRS “+1” system, is not part of their plan moving forward. While those custom codes gave departments flexibility, they also created fragmentation. Neighboring departments often tracked similar concepts in slightly different ways, which made it difficult to combine and analyze that data at a regional or national level. Instead of allowing local customization, NERIS is taking a centralized approach. The goal is to continuously evolve the national schema based on feedback from departments. If a particular data point is valuable in one place, there’s a strong likelihood it could be valuable everywhere. In those cases, NERIS aims to incorporate it into the standard system rather than leaving it as a localized workaround. They provided examples of this already happening, such as the addition of fields to track violence against emergency responders and emerging hazards like medical oxygen. That said, they were also clear that departments are not restricted from tracking additional data locally. If there are specific needs that don’t align with the national model, those can still be managed within a department’s records management system. The broader shift here is from local flexibility to shared standardization, with the expectation that the system will evolve quickly enough to keep up with real-world needs.
What happened to action and tactic codes for rescue and extrication?
For many users, this change requires a bit of a mindset shift. NERIS has not eliminated action and tactic tracking, but it has restructured how that information is captured. Instead of logging these details as general action codes, rescue-related activities are now handled within a dedicated rescue submodule. This change is intentional. NERIS is treating rescue as a scene-based activity rather than an individual action. In complex incidents, there may be multiple rescues occurring simultaneously, each with different tactics and approaches. By capturing this information within a structured module, the system can more accurately reflect what actually happened on scene without duplicating data across multiple fields. They also acknowledged that this area is still evolving. Based on user feedback, they are already looking at expanding the available actions and tactics, particularly around pre-rescue activities like scene stabilization and other preparatory steps. There is also demand for better representation of medical-related actions, which they plan to address in future updates. This is a good example of how NERIS is approaching development: launch with a structured baseline, then iterate quickly based on real-world use.
How can we use NERIS data to make the case for funding?
This question gets to the heart of what NERIS is trying to accomplish. The system is designed to help departments turn their incident data into a compelling narrative – one that can be used to justify funding, staffing, training, and resource allocation. The guidance from the webinar was straightforward: document incidents thoroughly, especially when they involve multiple units or disciplines. For example, a motor vehicle accident that requires an engine, a rescue unit, and EMS is not a single response. It’s a coordinated effort involving different types of personnel, equipment, and expertise. Capturing that full picture is critical. The more accurately departments document complex responses, the easier it becomes to demonstrate operational demand and justify investment. They also emphasized the importance of documenting rescues and outcomes. Shifting the narrative from loss to impact (highlighting lives saved and risks mitigated) can be a powerful way to communicate value to the community and decision-makers. Ultimately, NERIS provides the structure and tools, but the effectiveness of that story depends on how well the data is entered by you – the members of the department who respond to the call.
Will departments be able to run comparative analytics against other departments?
The answer here was slightly nuanced. On one hand, NERIS made it clear that departments retain ownership of their data, and that data will not be shared directly with others without permission. That principle is central to how the system operates. On the other hand, they are actively working toward enabling broader benchmarking capabilities. Later this year, NERIS plans to release a public-facing dataset that will allow departments to compare their data against aggregated national trends. This dataset will be de-identified and updated frequently, providing a much more current view than what was historically available. In addition, future dashboard enhancements are expected to include state and national benchmarks, giving departments more context for how their operations compare to others with similar characteristics. They also highlighted the importance of accurately completing department-level information (such as staffing model, service area, and capabilities), as this will play a key role in making comparisons more meaningful. While direct, detailed comparisons between individual departments may remain limited, the overall direction is clear: benchmarking and analytics will become a much more prominent part of the NERIS experience.
The FAQs in Summary
Across all of these questions, a consistent theme emerged. NERIS is designed to be a standardized, national data platform focused on consistency, analysis, and scale. To achieve that, it is intentionally limiting customization and avoiding complexity in the core reporting process. At the same time, it is relying on departments (and their record management systems) to handle the operational detail that falls outside of that scope. Understanding that balance is key. It not only explains many of the decisions being made within NERIS, but also helps clarify how departments will need to adapt their workflows moving forward.
What’s Next: Expanding Beyond the Core Report
In addition to the Q&A, one of the more important parts of the webinar was a look at what’s coming next for NERIS – and it reinforces how the platform is expected to evolve over time. The biggest theme is that NERIS is being built as a layered system, starting with a simple core report and expanding through additional modules (referred to as “secondary schemas”) that capture more detailed data.
The first of these is the Incident Analysis module. This new layer sits directly on top of a completed NERIS incident report and is designed to capture information that goes beyond the basics. While the core report focuses on what happened and when, Incident Analysis is intended to answer deeper questions such as: why it happened, how it happened, what was involved, and what was ultimately lost. From what was shown in the demo, this includes:
- Data relevant to Fire Marshals and Fire Investigators
- Vehicle information (including VIN lookup and auto-population of vehicle details)
- Expanded tracking of emerging hazards, such as lithium-ion batteries
The workflow itself is more dynamic than the core report, using branching logic to guide users through more detailed questions based on the type of incident. It’s also designed to be completed after the initial report, often by someone with more time or investigative responsibility. Just as important as what it includes is how it’s positioned. NERIS was clear that this is an additive layer, not a replacement for the core report. The goal is to:
- Keep initial reporting fast and simple
- Avoid overloading frontline users with too many required fields
- Preserve a clean, standardized dataset for national analysis
At the same time, it introduces a new level of complexity that departments and RMS vendors (like Alpine Software) will need to account for, especially as this functionality is rolled out and integrated into existing workflows. Alpine Software is already well ahead of these reporting changes as an official Integration Partner of NERIS. It will be readily available within our NERIS Module within RedAlert RMS.
Alongside Incident Analysis, NERIS also announced upcoming expansion in the area of Community Risk Reduction (CRR). This includes new capabilities to track:
- Public education activities
- Mobile integrated health and community paramedicine programs
- Targeted mitigation efforts
These additions are expected to roll out in Summer 2026 and reflect a broader push to capture not just emergency response data, but also the proactive work departments are doing to reduce risk in their communities.
Taken together, these updates show where NERIS is heading. The core system is designed to stay relatively simple and standardized, while additional layers will continue to expand the depth of data that can be captured. Over time, this approach is meant to support both national-level analysis and more detailed local insights, provided departments have the workflows and systems in place to support it.
