Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal

When you deck the halls this holiday season it's important to keep fire-safety in mind. Christmas trees are the center of many homes holiday decorations. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) more than one of every four home Christmas tree fires are caused by an electrical problem. A heat source too close to the tree caused one in every four of those fires.

The holidays are here and that means many will be decorating their homes. Hanging up decorations is fun, but keep in mind, holiday decorations can increase your risk for a home fire. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) more than two of every five home decoration fires occur due to decorations being placed too close to a heat source. More than one-third of home decoration fires are started by candles. More than half of home decoration fires in December are started by candles. 

​Candles can be pretty to look at, but they are a cause of home fires and home fire deaths. Remember, a candle is an open flame, which means that it can ignite anything that can burn. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), December is the peak month for home candle fires. More than one-third of home candle fires started in the bedroom with three of every five candle fires starting when things that can burn are too close to the candle.

The National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) is currently being rolled out by region across the nation, and Illinois fire departments will be brought onboard beginning in December 2025. This page will help fire chiefs and other personnel prepare for the shift from NFIRS to NERIS.

This page provides information to help Illinois fire departments shift from the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) to the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS)

The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal has made some changes to the Portal login, and a dual authentication system has been added. If you did not previously set up your authentication and are therefore unable to login, you will need to go on the Portal and register your email. Email addresses that were not authenticated by 9/22/2025 have been removed from the system.

Please note that if your department is using Vector, you must register the same email address that you use with Vector. Otherwise, your information will not upload correctly.

If you are having trouble logging in, please contact our office at sfm.pse@illinois.gov.

You will want to register for the OSFM portal through our website.