253 - NERIS - the paradigm shift for the US fire data collection with Craig Weinschenk
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A national fire statistics system that updates in weeks is not a statistics system, it is a history lesson. We talk with Dr. Craig Weinschenk from UL Research Institutes - Fire Safety Research Institute about NERIS (the National Emergency Response Information System) and why it represents a real shift in fire incident reporting, emergency response data, and fire service analytics across the United States.
We trace the arc from NFIRS, built for paper forms and rigid codes, to a modern cloud based, API driven platform that can scale to tens of thousands of departments and millions of records. Craig explains the practical problems that held fire data back: delayed batch uploads, validation errors that return long after the call, fractured “plus one” local codes, and how hard it was to update incidents when outcomes change. Then we get specific about what NERIS enables: easier updates with full change history, consistent unit typing, staffing counts per apparatus, all hazards reporting, and narrative fields that document impediments so the data keeps real world context.
We also dig into what departments get back immediately: interactive dashboards, geospatial maps, time of day trends, mutual aid linking, and a clearer view of complex incidents that involve suppression, rescue, and medical actions at once. On top of that, NERIS enriches incident records with external data like parcel information and weather, creating new opportunities for fire safety engineering research, community risk reduction, and smarter resource planning while keeping sensitive operational details controlled.
Learn more about the NERIS here: https://fsri.org/programs/neris
Check this webinar to see the live demo: https://fsri.org/program-update/now-available-demand-access-neris-version-1-platform-launch-and-national-rollout
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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.
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- 0:00Why Fire Data Must Change
- 3:19Sponsor Message From OFR
- 4:36Meet Craig And Define NERIS
- 6:25NFIRS Origins And How Reporting Worked
- 13:52NFIRS Limits Plus One Codes Delays
- 18:00Building NERIS Cloud API Security
- 25:10Getting Firefighters Buy In
- 28:28Fatalities Updates And Lives Saved
- 36:05Resources Unit Typing And Timestamps
- 43:50Impediments Narratives And Data Context
- 48:15Dashboards Maps Mutual Aid Linking
- 51:25Large Wildfires Incident Analysis IRWIN
- 54:40Scale Metrics Speed Adoption Challenges
- 58:05Fire Protection Data Parcel Weather Enrichment
- 1:04:25Trust Data Sharing And What Comes Next
- 1:09:27Host Takeaways And Closing