2026 Annual Conference: State Fire Marshal

Minnesota has been utilizing the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) for nearly a year now.  New modules, new fields, and new terms continue to be developed.  Course content will include the most recent updates with NERIS, fire incident reporting requirements, and utilize scenarios for hands-on practice with the NERIS incident report.  The course will also give an overview on how fire incident reporting is important for your community risk reduction plan.

This course is for individuals who complete fire incident reports in accordance with MN Statute. Training officers who can teach other department staff how to complete fire incident reports and, fire officers and chiefs who want to learn more about how NERIS impacts their department.

Angela Contreras is the Data and Education Supervisor at the Minnesota State Fire Marshal division. With over 17 years of experience in public safety, she specializes in training and data driven program management. She is a nationally registered paramedic and has held previous roles in emergency medical services, pipeline emergency preparedness, radiological emergency preparedness, and statewide emergency management training.

Craig Milani is the Fire Technology & Analytics Administrator in the Data and Education Team at the State Fire Marshal (SFM) division. His responsibilities include: manage and lead technology initiatives within the SFM division; administer and deliver training on the Minnesota fire incident reporting system; and research and analyze fire data to help identify fire impacts and risk reduction strategies.

 Craig’s career in business and the public safety sector over the past 20+ years has intersected between higher education campus safety & security, emergency management, information technology, facilities management, firefighting, and being a nationally registered emergency medical technician.

Craig has been the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS) implementation project lead for the State of Minnesota.

Joel Paylor is the program manager overseeing fire incident reporting (NFIRS/NERIS) at the State Fire Marshal Division. With extensive experience in managing statewide fire incident data—from collection and vetting to analysis—Joel assists the SFM Data and Education Team in producing timely insights and annual reports to support fire prevention efforts across more than 700 departments.  Joel’s work bridges data analytics, field training, and inter-agency collaboration to drive fire safety and preparedness throughout Minnesota.