Transitioning to NERIS: Essential Information for Fire Departments – Tom Jenkins

Peter Matthews sits down with Chief Tom Jenkins to discuss the latest developments with the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) and what fire departments should expect as NFIRS is phased out in 2026.  

Jenkins breaks down how departments can begin the transition, outlines timelines, and how more than a dozen records management systems have already been approved to integrate with NERIS, paving the way for more seamless, platform-based data sharing.  The expanded capabilities of NERIS, include critical time stamps, resource tracking, and a broader range of incident types and actions.  

This new data sets allow fire departments to identity emerging trends that they can respond to, including risk reduction strategies, response methods and more. The data, Jenkins says, allows departments to tell their story. 

With data integrity so important in 2025, Matthews discusses why that mindset prompted Firehouse to reevaluate our annual run survey publications. 

Resources 

• National Emergency Response Information System
• NERIS Onboarding
• Infographic: NERIS Essentials: What You Need to Know
• Research Corner: NERIS—Firefighting Data in the Digital Age