What Happened to NFIRS Vehicle Data?

Understanding NERIS Mobile Property Changes

For nearly five decades, fire departments used NFIRS to capture detailed vehicle information during fire investigations — VIN numbers, make, model, year, and license plates. When NERIS replaced NFIRS on January 1, 2026, these fields disappeared. Here's what changed and why it matters for your department.

The Short Answer

NERIS does not collect vehicle identification fields that NFIRS Section H captured:

• ✗ VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)
• ✗ Make and Model
• ✗ Year of Manufacture
• ✗ License Plate and State

What NERIS does collect: NERIS focuses on the type of vehicle fire (passenger car, truck, boat, aircraft, etc.) and the operational response details — not vehicle identification.

What NFIRS Section H Captured

NFIRS Module 2 (Fire Module) included Section H: Mobile Property Involved in Ignition. This section was required when a vehicle or mobile property was the origin or primary fuel source of a fire. Here's what departments could document:

Mobile Property Type

Coded classification from passenger cars to boats, aircraft, and construction equipment. Over 60 specific type codes available.

Make and Model

Free text fields (30 characters each) for manufacturer and model designation. Critical for tracking recalls and manufacturer defects.

Year of Manufacture

4-digit year field for identifying vehicle age patterns in fire incidents.

License Plate & State

Plate number (10 chars) and registration state. Essential for law enforcement coordination and owner notification.

VIN (Vehicle ID Number)

17-character VIN for positive vehicle identification. Critical for insurance investigations and legal proceedings.

Vehicle Categories

Highway vehicles, rail vehicles, water vessels, aircraft, industrial equipment, and recreational vehicles.

How NERIS Handles Vehicle Fires

NERIS takes a different approach to vehicle fires, focusing on incident classification and operational response rather than property identification:

NERIS Transportation Fire Types

• FIRE||TRANSPORTATION_FIRE||VEHICLE_FIRE_PASSENGER — Passenger vehicles (cars, vans, SUVs)
• FIRE||TRANSPORTATION_FIRE||VEHICLE_FIRE_COMMERCIAL — Commercial vehicles, trucks, motor homes
• FIRE||TRANSPORTATION_FIRE||VEHICLE_FIRE_RV — Campers and RVs (non-motorized)
• FIRE||TRANSPORTATION_FIRE||TRAIN_RAIL_FIRE — Rail vehicles
• FIRE||TRANSPORTATION_FIRE||BOAT_PERSONAL_WATERCRAFT_BARGE_FIRE — Water vessels
• FIRE||TRANSPORTATION_FIRE||AIRCRAFT_FIRE — Aircraft

What NERIS Collects Instead of Vehicle Details

• Fire Cause — Equipment/vehicle use, battery failure, incendiary, natural causes, smoking materials, or undetermined
• Suppression Details — Appliances used (hose lines, extinguishers), water supply source, tactical timeline
• Investigation Status — Whether investigation is needed (full, limited, or none) and cause determination status
• Response Timeline — Command established, water on fire, fire under control, fire knocked down

Why Mobile Property Data Matters

Even though NERIS doesn't require vehicle identification fields, fire departments may still need this data for:

• Insurance Investigations — VIN numbers are essential for insurance claims and subrogation. Without this data in your incident report, coordinating with insurers becomes more difficult.
• Law Enforcement Coordination — License plates, VINs, and vehicle descriptions help police identify stolen vehicles or coordinate arson investigations.
• Fleet Management & Apparatus Fires — When department vehicles catch fire, tracking make/model/year helps identify patterns and support warranty or recall claims.
• Statistical Analysis & Prevention — Identifying vehicle fire trends by make/model (e.g., electric vehicle battery fires) helps with prevention planning and public education.
• Legal Documentation — Comprehensive vehicle details strengthen your documentation in legal proceedings or liability investigations.
• Manufacturer Recalls — When manufacturers issue recalls for fire-prone defects, your incident data can identify affected vehicles and support recall enforcement.

Bottom line: Just because NERIS doesn't require vehicle identification fields doesn't mean your department shouldn't collect them. Smart RMS systems continue capturing this data locally even when it's not submitted to NERIS.

NFIRS to NERIS Vehicle Fire Code Mapping

For departments transitioning from NFIRS, here's how the numeric vehicle fire codes (130-series) map to NERIS hierarchical strings:

What Forward-Thinking Departments Are Doing

Many departments are choosing to continue collecting mobile property data even though NERIS doesn't require it:

1. Local-only optional fields — Adding VIN, make/model, license plate as optional fields in their RMS that don't sync to NERIS but remain available for department use.
2. Enhanced narrative documentation — Including vehicle details in incident narratives when VIN or license plate information is critical to the investigation.
3. Custom fields for special cases — Tracking department apparatus fires, electric vehicle incidents, or other scenarios where vehicle data drives prevention efforts.
4. Integration with investigation tools — Linking vehicle fire incidents to separate investigation modules that capture comprehensive details.

Command Established lets you collect vehicle identification fields for your department's needs while seamlessly exporting only the required data to NERIS. Your data, your choice.

Resources & References

NFIRS Historical References

• NFIRS Complete Reference Guide (2015)
• NFIRS Fire Module Self-Study
• NFIRS Mobile Property VIN Reference

Related Topics

• NERIS Incident Types: Complete Guide
• What NERIS Left Behind
• How to Enroll in NERIS