By Sarah Roebuck
FireRescue1
WASHINGTON — Six fire departments have successfully onboarded onto the prototype for the new National Emergency Response Information System, the U.S. Fire Administration announced.
USFA is collaborating with the six departments to test and review a prototype of NERIS, a new interoperable fire information and analytics platform for the fire service. The effort aims to gather feedback to shape the next stages of development.
The first fire departments to be onboarded onto the prototype version of NERIS include:
- Fairfax County Fire and Rescue, Virginia
- Frisco Fire Department, Texas
- Orange County Fire Authority, California
- Springdale Fire Department, Arkansas
- Upper Merion Township Fire & EMS Department, Pennsylvania
- West Metro Fire Rescue, Colorado
#NERIS updates provided by @usfire @DrLoriUSFA as we meet with the Senior Leader, Technical Expert, and Prototype Fire Department Test Panels this week in Dallas, TX. Stay tuned for upcoming information on the latest prototype. pic.twitter.com/7GS4QdMyJi
— Fire Safety Research Institute (@FSRI_org) March 12, 2024
[RELATED: Embracing change: The transition to NERIS for incident reporting]
The six fire departments are already putting NERIS to work, using it to record vital details after dealing with structure fires, hazmat incidents, emergency medical calls and more, USFA says.
NERIS leverages modern geographic information system (GIS) technology, data interoperability standards and advanced analytics to offer location-based decision support to fire departments across the country. As it evolves, NERIS will integrate data from various federal sources, local dispatch and records systems and other key sources. USFA says this enhances its ability to highlight community risks, including vulnerable populations and areas prone to climate hazards like floods, droughts and wildfires.
The new NERIS platform is set to take over from the current National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS), serving as its modern replacement.
USFA’s goal is to unveil the fully developed version of NERIS in fall 2024.