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Documenting Civilian Casualties (NERIS)

Purpose Statement

The civilian casualty documentation process allows fire and EMS departments to accurately record injuries, fatalities, and related patient information for civilians or non-fire department personnel involved in a fire incident.

This workflow helps agencies maintain a complete incident record, support NERIS reporting requirements, and capture casualty details for statistical analysis, prevention planning, compliance, and regulatory reporting.

Background Information

Civilian casualty documentation is completed from within a NERIS fire incident report. In First Due, casualty-related information is entered through the People Involved section of the report.

The People Involved section may include civilians, civilian EMS patients, injured firefighters, and related EMS or casualty details. First Due’s NERIS reporting tools support documenting civilian casualties, fire service casualties, medications, procedures, and signatures when applicable.

Use this workflow when a civilian or non-fire department person was injured, treated, transported, or otherwise needs to be documented as part of the incident record.

Required Permissions

The user must have access to the incident reporting module and permission to edit or complete NERIS incident reports.

Recommended permission areas to review:

  1. Incident Documentation / Incident Reports
  2. NERIS Reporting
  3. People Involved
  4. EMS Patient Documentation, if EMS fields are being completed
  5. Casualty Documentation, if available as a separate permission
  6. Report Completion / Authorization, if the user is responsible for finalizing the report

Video

Step-by-Step Guide
 

1. Open the Fire Incident Report

  1. Navigate to the applicable Fire Incident Report.
  2. Locate the People Involved section.



 

2. Review Existing People Involved Options

  1. In the People Involved section, review any existing records.
  2. If your agency is not recording people involved for the incident, select the applicable Not Recorded option.
  3. If the person can be pulled from an occupancy report, use the available dropdown to select and add them.
  4. If the person is not available from an existing record, select Add.



 

3. Select the Person Type

  1. After selecting Add, choose the appropriate person type.
  2. Available options may include:
    1. Civilian
    2. Civilian EMS Patient
    3. Injured Firefighter
  3. For a civilian casualty with EMS-related documentation, select Civilian EMS Patient.



 

4. Complete General Information

  1. On the General Information tab, document whether the person is a property owner, if applicable.
  2. Enter available demographic and contact information, including:
    1. Personal Information
    2. Contact Information
    3. Insurance Information



 

5. Complete the EMS Tab

  1. Select the EMS tab.



 

6. Complete the Casualty Tab

  1. Select the Casualty tab.



 

7. Save the Civilian Casualty Record

  1. Review the General Information, EMS, and Casualty tabs for completeness.
  2. Confirm that all required fields have been completed.
  3. Select Save.

Best Practices

  1. Complete casualty documentation as soon as accurate information is available.
  2. Use the Civilian EMS Patient option when EMS-related patient care details need to be documented.
  3. Avoid leaving required NERIS fields incomplete when casualty information is known.
  4. Verify demographic information before saving when possible.
  5. Document injuries, treatments, medications, vitals, and signatures in the EMS tab when applicable.
  6. Use the EMS narrative to provide clear context that may not be captured in structured fields.
  7. Confirm whether the casualty was transported to an emergency care facility.
  8. Review the Casualty tab carefully before saving to ensure the casualty type and cause of casualty are accurate.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Why are the EMS and Casualty tabs not available?

The EMS and Casualty tabs become available after selecting an applicable person type, such as Civilian EMS Patient.

What should I select if the person was not treated as an EMS patient?

Select the person type that best matches the documentation needed. If EMS details are not required, a standard Civilian record may be more appropriate.

What should I do if the person is already listed from the occupancy report?

Use the dropdown in the People Involved section to add the person from the occupancy report instead of manually creating a duplicate record.

Should I complete the EMS tab and the Casualty tab?

Yes, when applicable. The EMS tab captures patient care details, while the Casualty tab captures casualty and rescue-related information needed for NERIS reporting.

What if required fields are missing?

Review each tab for required fields before saving. Required fields may vary depending on the selected person type and the information entered.