NERIS reporting software for fire departments

01What NERIS is

NERIS — the National Emergency Response Information System — is the national fire and emergency incident reporting system that replaces NFIRS 5.0. It is run by the U.S. Fire Administration and built with UL's Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI).

NERIS is not a new form layout on top of NFIRS. It is a live API with a new data model: every incident is a structured report made of modules (core incident data, fire, medical, hazardous situations, casualty and more), submitted per incident and validated on the way in. Stations and apparatus are registered with NERIS and referenced by their NERIS IDs on every report.

That means NERIS fire reporting depends on your records software. For reports to go to NERIS straight from the software your officers already use, that software has to come from a vendor that has passed FSRI's compatibility testing.

02A NERIS Integration Partner

PiranCommand passed the NERIS team's compatibility check and is listed as a NERIS Integration Partner, with the NERIS V1 Compatible badge. The testing covers the calls a department's software actually makes: registering stations, registering units under them, creating incidents, and updating or replacing them, all over NERIS's machine-to-machine authorization.

NERIS reporting is not a separate product you bolt on. It is built into the same platform your crews use for dispatch, incident command, accountability and preplans — so the report is a by-product of running the call, not an evening of re-typing.

03From the call to the NERIS report

• The call type picks the form. The dispatch call type — whatever your CAD calls it, including phrases like "odor of gas" or "wires down" — is resolved to the matching NERIS incident type, and the officer gets the form for that type. Your department can map its own CAD codes.
• The run fills it in. Dispatch and unit times, the units that responded, assignments and benchmarks from the command board carry into the report. The board becomes the narrative draft.
• Only what this call needs. Sections appear when they apply — chemical details once a chemical is listed, casualty details once there is a casualty — so officers are not scrolling past fields that don't apply.
• All NERIS modules. PiranCommand builds every module NERIS defines, from core incident data through fire, medical, hazardous situations, casualty, exposures and mutual aid.

04Validated before it's sent

A report that bounces back is a report someone has to fix days later. PiranCommand checks it first:

• Preview the exact report. Before submitting, the officer sees the report exactly as it will go to NERIS.
• Errors block, warnings inform. Missing required data stops the submission and says what is missing. Anything optional that's missing is flagged but doesn't hold the report up.
• Built against every incident type. We maintain reference reports for all 130 NERIS incident types and check them against NERIS's published schema, so a rarely used call type doesn't surprise anyone.
• Station and unit registration. Stations and apparatus are registered with NERIS from inside PiranCommand, and their NERIS IDs are stored on your records.

05No credentials to manage

Your department does not create API keys, store secrets or manage NERIS integrations. NERIS issues each department its own entity ID (it looks like FD12345678). Your department's NERIS administrator enrolls PiranCommand against that ID in the NERIS admin console, once, and PiranCommand can then file on your behalf.

06Moving off NFIRS

PiranCommand remains NFIRS 5.0 compatible for departments still finishing the transition.

07Getting your department ready for NERIS

• Register your department with NERIS and get your FD entity ID.
• List the stations and apparatus you will register — your run cards are a good starting point.
• Look at your last thirty incidents. Which ones are missing times, dispositions or personnel? That gap is what NERIS will ask you to close.
• Ask your records vendor to show you a NERIS report preview for one of your own calls before you commit.

08Questions chiefs ask

Does NERIS replace NFIRS?

Yes. NERIS is the replacement for the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS 5.0).

Do we need our own NERIS API credentials?

No. You need your department's NERIS entity ID and a one-time enrollment of PiranCommand in the NERIS admin console. PiranCommand holds the vendor credentials.

Can our officers see the report before it is filed?

Yes. Every report can be previewed exactly as it will be sent, with blocking errors and warnings listed.

Do we have to replace our CAD?

No. PiranCommand takes dispatches from any CAD, and your CAD's call types are mapped to NERIS incident types.

How is it priced?

Per department, with unlimited personnel — there is no per-firefighter charge. NERIS reporting is included. Request a demo for a quote.

What else does PiranCommand do?

NERIS reporting is one part of a complete fire department software platform: dispatch and incident command, GIS and hydrants, apparatus tracking, accountability, preplans, mutual aid, and EMS.