NERIS Public - A New Era of Timely, Transparent Fire Incident Data

The U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) is proud to announce the launch of NERIS Public, a groundbreaking new approach to sharing national fire incident data. For the first time, the public will have access to near real-time, incident-level data from fire departments nationwide, marking a significant shift from the traditional annual release model.

A modern approach to fire data transparency

For decades, fire incident data was collected, processed and released in annual batches — often a year or more after the events occurred. While invaluable for retrospective analysis, this process limited the data’s ability to inform current decisions or provide timely insight to the public.

With the transition to the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS), USFA is transforming how fire incident data is shared. NERIS Public offers a curated, flattened release of incident-level data, refreshed several times per week. This new resource includes the most essential fields for analysis – such as incident type, date, location and actions taken — while carefully excluding sensitive information.

Key features of NERIS Public

• Structure: Each record represents a single incident reported through NERIS, with status of approved or pending approval.
• Coverage: nationwide, from departments reporting through NERIS.
• Refresh rate: updated multiple times per week for timely insight.
• Availability: open to the public – no login or request required.
• Included data: incident type, date, location (including address and point location) and actions taken.
• Excluded data: casualty and rescue details, medical specifics, detailed unit response, and operational data.
• Intended use: ideal for call type and frequency analysis, high-level policy and strategic planning, code enforcement, pre-planning, and community risk reduction – not for operational or tactical analysis.
• Contents: approximately 40 data fields, covering incident identifiers, department, timing, location, incident types, aid, displacement, fire cause and damage, alarm and suppression systems, and emerging hazards.

Seamless access through Esri’s ArcGIS Online

NERIS Public is delivered as a hosted feature layer in Esri’s ArcGIS Online, aligning with the tools already used by many state agencies and fire departments. This live geospatial data service allows users to:

• Access up-to-date data without downloading new files.
• View the data directly in a web browser, with no GIS software or account required.
• Integrate the data into existing maps, dashboards and analysis tools.
• Export data in open formats for static analysis.

A commitment to public ownership and accountability

USFA believes that data collected through publicly funded efforts should be accessible to all. By making NERIS Public available in a de-risked, user-friendly format, USFA is reinforcing its commitment to transparency, accountability and empowering communities with the information they need to enhance fire safety and prevention. The agency having jurisdiction maintains ownership of the official incident record.

For more information

To access NERIS Public: Incident Basics or learn more about this initiative, visit neris.fsri.org/public.