This article provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide to help your department successfully transition from NFIRS to NERIS for fire incident reporting within First Due. It outlines the process, requirements, and considerations to ensure accurate reporting and compliance with the U.S. Fire Administration’s 2026 mandate.

For the full regional rollout schedule, refer to the official NERIS Rollout Schedule [link].

Important Notes:

• Early Adoption Restrictions: Minnesota, Nevada, and Oregon do not allow early adoption before their regional rollout.

• State-Specific Delays: Colorado and Pennsylvania will begin NERIS reporting after January 1, 2026 only.

• Non-Participating States: Departments in North Carolina, Ohio, and Wyoming will remain on NFIRS unless state guidance changes.
  

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Review NERIS Regional Rollout and State Timelines and Guidance

May - New York and New Jersey

June - Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee

July – Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas

August – Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska

September – Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia

October – Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington

November – Arizona, California, Hawaii, Montana, North Dakota, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah

December – Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin

After 1/1/2026 (based on State’s requirements) – Colorado, Pennsylvania

Important Guidance

If you’d like to begin reporting in NERIS before your region’s official go-live date, contact your state advisor, fire marshal, or division of fire safety for permission. 

The following states will NOT allow early NERIS adoption ahead of the Regional Rollout: Minnesota, Nevada, and Oregon 

Colorado and Pennsylvania departments: Reporting to NERIS will officially begin after January 1, 2026. Be aware your states will not accept NERIS data prior to 1/1/2026

Step 2: PLAN AND COMPLETE: Considerations Before Requesting the Transition

Note:  As soon as NERIS is activated in your system, any reports that are not in the Authorized incident status will be converted to NERIS incidents and can be finished as needed. We recommend providing your staff with advanced notice of the change occurring for full transparency to complete as many records as possible before your transition.

2A. Request TEST site access to NERIS to review and familiarize (Recommended)

Submit a request to Support to gain access to the TEST (monthly) site to review NERIS in a non-production environment.

1. Suggested ticket title: ‘Requesting TEST Site access to NERIS’
   
1. TEST is an exact replica of your Production account, updated on the 1st of every month. When NERIS is activated in TEST, it will remain active until the next 1st. If you need extended access, you may submit a new request.
   
2. Any NERIS settings, Field Customizations, or Workflows created in TEST
   must be manually recreated in your Production environment after go-live.
   

2B. Review and Authorize all past incomplete NFIRS incidents in your NFIRS production environment that are in (Strongly Recommended)

1. Not Started
   
2. Incomplete
   
3. Pending Authorization
   
4. If your department has 25 or more incidents in Not Started, Incomplete or Pending Authorization status, prioritize the completion and authorization of incidents prior to making the switch. This ensures all reports are submitted to NFIRS properly before your state’s official NERIS transition date. Any report that is not Authorized at the time of your transition to NERIS will be then become a NERIS type incident.
   
5. Strongly Recommended to Authorize all reports in Pending Authorization and perform a final export of NFIRS data if you must provide to your state.
   
6. If you need to perform a final export of your NFIRS incidents up to the date prior to your NERIS Transition, you may do this through the incident list.
   

• Filter the date range applicable
  

• Filter for Status = Authorized
  

• Expand pagination to 500
  

• Bulk select all incidents
  

• Export

Tip: Create an Incident List View in First Due to identify reports within the last 180 days (or more) that remain in any of the above statuses.

2C. Update Critical Apparatus fields and Review Location Addresses

1. Admin or Assets > Apparatus List
1. Edit each apparatus record, update the following 4 critical fields:
   
1. Location field
   
2. NERIS Apparatus Type field
   
3. Normal Staffing Levels (found in the Specifications Tab)
   
4. Document CAD Designation if this field is empty.
   

• This field (if populated) copies the Associated Dispatch Unit, if there is an Associated Dispatch Unit added to this record

• This field is intended for the CAD Call Sign for this apparatus, however, if this unit is not dispatched by CAD you can copy the apparatus name into this free text field. 

5. Click Save.
   
6. For more guidance, reference this article: Apparatus List: Editing an Apparatus
   
   
2. Admin > Location List
   
1. Update the Location Address if missing a Zip Code 
   
1. Edit the Location, click into the Address Line 1 and select the Google address and save
   
2. If you have more than 1 location with the same address, you will need to make each Location unique 
   
1. This can be accomplished by adding a Suite Number or Location Name into Address Line 2 to create a unique address
   
1. NERIS will not accept duplicate Locations with the identical addresses
   

Do NOT create your Locations or Apparatus in the NERIS Website. First Due will send this data to NERIS upon Integration completion.

Step 3: REGISTER with NERIS:

Step 4 Use the NERIS Fast-Track Transition Management Tool to transition your department from NFIRS to NERIS

WARNING: The switch in Production to NERIS is a permanent change that cannot be undone

1. To switch your Fire Incident Reporting module from NFIRS to NERIS, Use the NERIS Fast-Track Transition Management Tool to transition your department from NFIRS to NERIS

Reference this article for information on the NERIS Transition Tool: Self-Guided Transition to NERIS: Using the FAST-TRACK NERIS Transition Management Tool

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Step 5: REFINE: Post-Transition Configuration: Update Settings and build  Workflows

Once your system is live in NERIS, department administrators should review and update configuration settings within Fire Incident Setup > Review settings and Workflows to ensure proper documentation standards are met.

1.       Update the following settings in Fire Incident Setup 
   
1. Do you use Wildland Form for Outdoor Fires?
   

1. Authorization: Require Authorization for Incident Types

1. Size-up > Scene> Fire Incident EMS Module> Require EMS Patient by Incident Type - Only update this setting if you Have the EMS module turned on and if you REQUIRE using this form by Incident Type
   

1. Unit Narratives: Do you want to turn on individual Unit narratives? (Only update this setting for the incident types if you require At Least One, or Mandatory for Unit Narrative entries)
   

Important: Field Customizations and Hide, Default, and Error Validation Workflows built for NFIRS will not carry over to NERIS, as this is a new data standard. This means all necessary workflows must be rebuilt within NERIS after the transition.

We recommend:

• Reviewing/ creating a sample NERIS incident immediately after the switch to identify additional fields to require via Error Validation, we recommend deleting the incident after use.
• Build any critical Hide, Default, or Error Validation workflows in the NERIS environment.
• Using Custom Field Management to ensure fields important to your department are clearly labeled.

Allow adequate time after the switch to assess your needs and implement new configurations.

1. To help streamline this process, we will provide recommended workflows and screenshots to reduce the guesswork and ease the transition.  

For Help in setting up Workflows, please see the Workflows Section in the Knowledge Base: Workflows - What are they and how do I set them up?

Step 6: REPORT: Creating and Submitting Reports to NERIS

Once your department is connected to NERIS, you’ll begin documenting and submitting incident reports directly from First Due. The following steps outline the process from incident creation through submission.

Step 6a: Create Incident Reports: Incidents can be created in one of two ways:

1. Automatically via your CAD integration feed, or
2. Manually by clicking the +Add New button within the Incidents module.
   
1. The incident creation and documentation workflow in NERIS follows the same structure as NFIRS. While some field labels or section names may differ slightly, the overall process remains consistent and familiar for users who have previously worked in NFIRS.
   

NOTE: Important Note About the PSAP Call Answered Date/Time Field.  The PSAP Call Answered Date/Time field is a new requirement under NERIS that was not part of the previous NFIRS standard.  As a result, your current CAD connection and parser will not automatically populate this field until CAD parser updates are completed. Until then, this field must be manually entered within your incident reports.  This is a temporary requirement while we work to enhance CAD parser integrations to support this new data point.

1. Requests for parser updates will be added to an internal processing queue and handled in the order received.
   
2. Timelines are currently unavailable, as the complexity of CAD systems can vary significantly.

Two possible scenarios:

1. Your CAD already captures this field: If so, we will notify you once your parser has been updated and the field is included in your parsed data.
   
2. Your CAD does not capture this field: If this data point is unavailable through your CAD system and your agency prefers to use an alternative timestamp, we will contact you to discuss available options.
   

Step 6b: Mark the Report as Authorized:

Once your Incident Report is complete:

1. Mark the report as "Authorized" in First Due.
2. This step triggers automatic submission of the report to NERIS.
   
3. No manual file uploads or exports are required once this setup is complete.
   

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Step 7: CONFIRM: NERIS Submission Status

You can monitor the submission status of each incident report directly within First Due:

Navigate to: Fire Incident Setup > NERIS

                      This section will display your department’s submission activity and any related status indicators for each report.

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"We appreciate your patience as we work through these updates. Our team is committed to ensuring a smooth and successful transition."

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Best Practices

• Use TEST to experiment with NERIS without affecting real data.

• Communicate timelines and expectations to all personnel ahead of transition.

• Rebuild and validate custom workflows immediately after go-live.

• Review your NERIS Export for any possible failures or issues.
  

• Please submit a support ticket right away if any failures or issues are found.
  

FAQs

Q: Can I go back to NFIRS after switching to NERIS?
A: No. Once switched, the transition is permanent within First Due.

Q: How can I access NERIS onboarding support?
A: Contact your State Program Manager or FEMA/USFA. 

Q: What if my department is in a state not participating in NERIS?
A: You will remain on NFIRS unless your state provides updated guidance.

Training Materials and Help Resources

NERIS Official Resources:

• NERIS Quick Start Video

• Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI)

First Due Resources:

• NERIS Section in First Due Knowledge Base