National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Transition Updates

The State Fire Marshal’s Office (SFMO) is urging all Washington fire departments to complete their National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) data entry prior to the program’s sunset on January 31, 2026. As the U.S. Fire Administration transitions from NFIRS to the new National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS), it is critical that departments ensure their incident reporting is accurate, complete, and submitted on time.

Departments should not wait until the final deadline to finalize their data. Early completion reduces the risk of data loss, reporting discrepancies, and compliance issues with local, state, or federal reporting requirements.

Key Reminders:

• NFIRS data must be submitted through the eNFIRS system by January 31, 2026.
• Fire departments planning to transition to NERIS should ensure that all NFIRS data is complete and submitted up to the point they begin reporting in the new system.
• Departments should not report in both NFIRS and NERIS simultaneously unless required by local or state regulations.

Departments that have already begun reporting in NERIS should not continue submitting reports in NFIRS unless specifically required by a local or state mandate. Once a department transitions to NERIS, all NFIRS data should be fully entered and finalized up to the transition date to ensure complete reporting and to avoid any gaps during the handoff.

Whether departments need to export their data from eNFIRS before the January 31, 2026 deadline depends on their current records retention practices. If a department already maintains incident records locally—such as through a records management system (RMS)—and this process aligns with their established retention policy, then the necessary data is likely already preserved. However, if the department does not currently retain incident data outside of the eNFIRS platform, it will be necessary to export that information and store it securely in a locally accessible format before the sunset date. Fire departments are strongly encouraged to review their records retention policies and coordinate with their IT or administrative teams to ensure all required data is properly stored and accessible after the NFIRS system is retired.

Take Action Now:

• Audit your current NFIRS data for completeness.
• Coordinate with your records management or IT team regarding local data storage.
• Set internal deadlines to complete all NFIRS reporting well before January 31, 2026.
• Contact the SFMO or your local NFIRS program manager if you have questions about data submission or export.

The timely and accurate reporting of fire incidents is essential for understanding community risk, allocating resources, and shaping future fire prevention strategies. The SFMO appreciates your continued efforts during this national reporting system transition.

For more guidance or assistance, please contact NFIRS@wsp.wa.gov or visit https://www.usfa.fema.gov/nfirs/sunset/.