Tennessee Fire Departments are Now Starting the Transition to the National Emergency Response Information System

Tennessee fire departments are starting the transition to the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS), a secure, cloud-based platform designed to modernize the reporting and analysis of emergency incidents, according to a statement released on Tuesday, June 3rd, by the Tennessee State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) and the Tennessee Department of Commerce & Insurance (TDCI). The 40-year-old National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) is being replaced with NERIS, which will give local agencies free incident reporting options, location-based analytics, and timely data resources. The official shutdown of NFIRS is scheduled for January 1st, 2026. “As Tennessee’s state fire marshal, I am committed to helping our state’s fire departments and emergency responders get the tools they need to protect their communities, manage their resources effectively, and make decisions backed by current data,” said TDCI Commissioner and State Fire Marshal Carter Lawrence. “The adoption of NERIS is a critical step toward further strengthening Tennessee’s public safety. I urge all Tennessee fire chiefs to get started as soon as possible on the important process of transitioning to NERIS.” Key feature includes zero-cost access for all public fire and EMS agencies, local data ownership, giving departments full control of their records, GIS-based reporting for location-specific insights and planning, actionable dashboards for operational awareness and performance tracking, and more. The SFMO encourages all departments to complete onboarding as soon as possible to ensure a smooth transition. For additional questions or technical support, departments can contact the NERIS Help Desk or SFMO Fire Data/NERIS Program Manager Kyle Evans at kyle.r.evans@tn.gov or (615) 253-2198.