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Completing an ePCR - Fire Short Form within an ePCR

Purpose

This article provides comprehensive guidance for configuring and using the Fire Incident Short Form feature within EMS documentation. This feature enables agencies to complete EMS documentation and required fire incident reporting simultaneously, reducing duplicate work while maintaining compliance.

Background Information

The Fire Incident Short Form eliminates duplicate documentation by embedding essential fire incident reporting fields directly into the EMS documentation workflow. By leveraging CAD data sharing, common fields are auto-populated, significantly reducing documentation time while preserving reporting accuracy and compliance with NERIS and departmental requirements.

This feature is especially beneficial for agencies that respond to combined fire and EMS incidents and require both reports to be completed.

Required Permissions

  • EMS Setup access (for initial configuration)

  • EMS Documentation module access

  • Fire Incident module access

Video


 

Step-by-Step Guide
 

1. Navigate to EMS Setup

  • Navigate to EMS Setup

  • Select General

2. Enable Fire EMS Short Form

  • Enable the Fire EMS Short Form toggle

3. Configure Form Requirement Standards

  • Select one of the following options:

    • Mandatory

      • Requires the Fire Short Form to be completed for every ePCR

    • Optional

      • Fire Short Form is not required

      • If the ePCR is completed without the Fire Short Form, a popup reminder is displayed

    • Never

      • Fire Short Form is not required

      • No popup reminder is displayed

      • The form remains available if needed


 

 
 
Note: The system label may say "NFIRS form", but the form itself will correlate with the Incident Documentation type your agency is using.
 
 

4. Download CAD Data

  • Click Download CAD 

Click on Download CAD. 

 

5. Select Incident

  • Select the appropriate incident

  • Click the Action icon for the incident 

Select appropriate incident and click on icon under Actions.  
 

 

6. Select Unit

  • Select the Unit you are completing the report as 

Select Unit you are completing the report as.  
 

 

7. Download CAD

  • Click Download CAD 

 
 
 

8. Import Crew Members (Optional)

  • Click Import to import crew members associated with the selected unit 

 
 
 


9. Access Fire Short Form

  • Click Fire Short Form

  • Info:

    • Associating an Incident Report to the EMS Report activates the Fire Short Form in the left-hand section stack 

 
 
 

10. Review Required Fields

  • Click Complete

  • All required Incident Documentation fields will highlight in red 

 
 
 

11. Complete Fire Incident Documentation

  • Fill out all Fire Incident documentation fields as appropriate 

 
  

12. Select Department Actions

  • Select Overall Department Actions Taken 

 
  

13. Complete Department-Required Fields

  • Complete any department-required fields

  • Info:

    • Required fields configured by the department in Incident Documentation will appear within the Fire Short Form 

Departments have ability to add required fields within Incident Documenation. Those required fields will be visible in Fire Short Form.  
 
  

14. Finalize or Save the Fire Short Form

  • From within the Fire Short Form, you can:

    • Open Incident

      • Opens the full Fire Incident Form

      • Saves and closes EMS documentation as a draft

    • Save as Draft

      • Saves the Fire Short Form without completing validations

    • Complete

      • Runs validations for NERIS and department-required fields 

 
 

Best Practices

For Administrators

  • Start with the Optional setting during initial rollout

  • Ensure CAD integration is fully configured before enabling

  • Train providers on workflow changes prior to implementation

  • Monitor adoption rates and gather user feedback

For EMS Providers

  • Always download and attach CAD data before accessing the Fire Short Form

  • Review auto-populated fields for accuracy

  • Use narrative templates for consistency

  • Address validation errors immediately using system guidance

Workflow Optimization

  • Complete the Fire Short Form immediately after patient care documentation

  • Verify incident type compatibility (31- and 32-series incidents supported)

  • Coordinate with fire personnel to prevent concurrent editing conflicts

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Fire Incident Short Form not appearing

Cause: EMS documentation is not attached to CAD data
Solution:

  • Verify CAD data has been downloaded and linked to the EMS report

Concurrent editing conflicts

Cause: Another user is editing the same fire incident
Solution:

  • Only one user can access a fire incident at a time

  • If the Short Form is open, the Fire Incident List record will be locked (and vice versa)

Validation errors on completion

Cause: Required fields are missing or invalid
Solution:

  • Review highlighted fields

  • Use Open Incident to access the full Fire Form for complex corrections

Custom required fields not appearing

Cause: Field type requires full Fire Form access
Solution:

  • Custom required fields appear at the bottom of the Short Form

  • Apparatus- or personnel-based fields require completion in the full Fire Form