As California fire departments prepare to move from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) to the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS), officials are outlining key transition milestones to help agencies ensure a smooth shift to the new reporting platform.
The California Incident Data and Statistics (CalStats) Program, which manages statewide emergency incident data, announced that NFIRS will officially stop accepting submissions on January 1, 2026. After that date, all emergency reporting in California will take place through NERIS, accessed via the CalStats system.
Here are the three key things departments need to know about the transition:
NFIRS is Ending: Starting January 1, 2026, NFIRS will no longer accept new incident reports. All data entry will move to NERIS through CalStats.
Credential Access: Fire departments will begin receiving their NERIS login credentials on Monday, November 3, 2025. Agencies can begin transitioning anytime between November and the official cutoff date in January.
Finalisation Deadline: The last day to edit or finalise 2025 NFIRS incidents is January 31, 2026. After this date, the NFIRS system will be locked.
CalStats, part of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE), plays a critical role in collecting and analysing incident data from fire departments statewide. The program submits that data to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA-FEMA) on behalf of California’s emergency services and will now support the rollout of NERIS as the national standard.
NERIS is designed to modernise and streamline how emergency data is collected and analysed across the United States. By replacing NFIRS, it aims to improve data accuracy, reporting speed, and coordination among agencies responding to fires, rescues, medical emergencies, and natural disasters.
CalStats also operates the CAL FIRE Incident Reporting System (CALFIRS), which captures detailed NFIRS data from the agency’s 808 fire stations statewide. This system allows CAL FIRE to track and analyse thousands of annual incidents, from wildfires and hazardous materials releases to floods and earthquakes.
Departments are encouraged to review the Region 9 onboarding checklist available here and watch the latest NERIS webinar for guidance on the transition process.
For ongoing updates, departments can follow CalStats announcements to stay informed as the state completes the shift to NERIS in 2025 and beyond.
(AI was used in part to facilitate this article.)