Purpose Statement

The Fire Incident Documentation Settings feature enables administrators to customize data collection fields and requirements for fire incident reports within First Due. This configuration ensures your department captures all necessary information for compliance, analysis, and operational improvement while maintaining consistency across all incident documentation. By tailoring these settings to your department's specific needs, you can streamline data entry for field personnel, ensure regulatory compliance, and enhance the quality of incident data for post-incident analysis and reporting.

Background Information

Fire incident documentation is a critical component of emergency services operations, serving multiple purposes including regulatory compliance, post-incident analysis, training development, and legal documentation. First Due's Fire Incident Documentation Settings allow departments to customize their incident reporting workflow to match specific operational requirements, state regulations, and departmental policies.

These settings control three primary areas of incident documentation:

Weather Data Integration: Automatic capture of environmental conditions at the time of dispatch through OpenWeather API integration, eliminating manual weather entry and providing accurate meteorological data for incident analysis.

Special Studies & Compliance Modules: Optional fields for tracking COVID-19 impact on incidents and NERIS EMS module integration for departments that need to document EMS-related data within fire incident reports, including the ability to mandate electronic Patient Care Reports (ePCRs) for specific incident types.

Command & Safety Documentation: Enhanced operational documentation that captures critical incident command milestones, including command establishment and transfers, size-up completion, and operations section engagement.

Common Use Cases:

• Departments requiring automatic weather documentation for wildfire or hazmat incidents
• Agencies tracking pandemic-related operational impacts
• Combination fire/EMS departments needing integrated medical documentation
• Departments implementing Incident Command System (ICS) documentation requirements
• Organizations seeking to reduce manual data entry and improve data accuracy

Required Permissions

To configure Fire Incident Documentation Settings, users must have the following permissions:

Primary Permission Required:

• Fire Incident Setup

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Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Access Fire Incident Documentation Settings

Navigate to Incident Documentation > Fire Incident Set up from the main menu. This will display the Fire Incident Documentation configuration page with three main sections: Size-up, Scene, and Operations.
 

Step 2: Configure Weather Data Integration (Size-up Section)
 

In the Size-up section, locate the Weather subsection. You will see a checkbox option to include current weather data from OpenWeather at the moment of dispatch.

To enable weather data:

• Check the box to activate automatic weather data capture
• The API will pull current weather conditions (temperature, precipitation, wind speed, humidity, and conditions) at the time of the dispatch only
   

Important Notes:

• Weather data is captured at dispatch time, not at arrival or other incident milestones
• Requires active OpenWeather API integration configured in your system settings
• Weather data will automatically populate in the incident report and cannot be manually edited by users
• Historical weather data is preserved with the incident record for long-term analysis

Step 3: Configure COVID-19 Special Study Tracking (Scene Section)

In the Scene section, you can enable tracking of COVID-19 impact on incident operations.

To enable COVID-19 Special Study:

1. Check the first box to turn on the COVID-19 Special Study field in incident reports
2. Check the second box to make this field mandatory (required) or leave unchecked to make it optional
    

Understanding COVID-19 Documentation Options: When enabled, users will select from the following choices when completing incident reports:

• "Yes, COVID-19 was suspected"
• "Yes, COVID-19 was confirmed"
• "No, COVID-19 was not a factor"
• "Unknown"

Use Case: This feature is valuable for departments tracking pandemic impact on operations, PPE usage, decontamination procedures, or analyzing operational modifications during public health emergencies.

Step 4: Enable Fire Incident EMS Module Integration (Scene Section)

Within the same Scene section, you can enable the Fire Incident EMS module for incident documentation.

To enable the Fire Incident EMS Module:

1. Check the box to enable the Fire Incident EMS module for your fire incidents
2. This adds EMS-specific data fields to your fire incident reports
    

To mandate ePCRs for specific incident types:

1. After enabling the Fire Incident EMS module, additional options will appear
    

1. Select any incident type(s) from the list where you want to require an electronic Patient Care Report (ePCR)
2. You can select multiple incident types by checking multiple boxes
3. Common selections include: Medical Assist, EMS Call, Motor Vehicle Accident, Rescue, Carbon Monoxide, and any other incident types where patient contact occurs
    

 

Important Considerations:

• Requiring an ePCR means users cannot close the incident report without completing or attaching a patient care report
• This ensures compliance with EMS documentation requirements for combination departments
• Users will receive a validation error if they attempt to finalize an incident without the required ePCR

Step 5: Configure Command & Safety Documentation (Operations Section)

In the Operations section, you can enable enhanced incident command documentation.
 

To enable Command & Safety Section:

1. Check the box to include the Command & Safety section on the Operations page of incident reports
2. When enabled, this section allows documentation of critical incident command milestones
    

What This Section Captures: The Command & Safety section records the following incident command events with date, time, unit, incident commander name, and notes for each:

• Initial Command Established: When the first arriving unit assumes command
• Command Transferred: Each time command is transferred between officers
• 360-Degree Size-up Completed: When the initial complete size-up is finished
• Operations Section Engaged: When operations section is formally activated
   

Operational Value:

• Creates a chronological record of incident command activities
• Supports post-incident analysis and after-action reviews
• Provides documentation for training scenarios
• Ensures compliance with ICS implementation standards
• Assists with accountability and operational timeline reconstruction

Step 6: Save Configuration Changes

After making all desired changes to the Fire Incident Documentation Settings:

1. Review each section to ensure settings match your department's requirements
2. Click Save or Apply Changes button (typically located at the bottom of the configuration page)
3. Confirm that a success message appears indicating settings have been saved
4. Changes take effect immediately for all new incident reports created after saving
    

Best Practices

Weather Data Integration:

• Do enable weather data capture if your department responds to weather-dependent incidents (wildfire, flooding, hazmat, vehicle accidents)
• Do verify your OpenWeather API integration is functioning before relying on automatic weather capture
• Don't assume weather data will capture conditions at arrival time—it only captures dispatch time conditions
• Do use weather data for post-incident analysis to identify patterns in incident types during specific weather conditions

COVID-19 Special Study & Special Studies:

• Do make COVID-19 documentation mandatory during active pandemic periods or when required by state reporting mandates
• Do train personnel on proper selection criteria for each COVID-19 documentation option
• Don't leave COVID-19 tracking enabled indefinitely if it's no longer operationally relevant
• Do review and adjust mandatory/optional status as pandemic conditions change in your jurisdiction
• Consider similar configuration approaches for future special studies or emerging operational concerns

NFIRS EMS Module & ePCR Requirements:

• Do carefully select which incident types require ePCRs based on your state's EMS reporting requirements
• Do ensure field personnel understand which incident types require patient care documentation
• Don't require ePCRs for incident types where patient contact is unlikely (structure fires, service calls without patients)
• Do coordinate ePCR requirements with your medical director and EMS supervisory staff
• Consider the operational impact—requiring ePCRs for too many incident types may create unnecessary documentation burden

Command & Safety Documentation:

• Do enable Command & Safety documentation if your department follows formal ICS structure
• Do train incident commanders on the importance of documenting command transfers and size-up completion
• Don't enable this feature without providing training on proper documentation procedures
• Do use the timeline data from Command & Safety section during after-action reviews
• Consider making this mandatory for incidents above a certain alarm level or resource commitment

General Configuration Management:

• Do review these settings quarterly to ensure they still match operational needs
• Do communicate any configuration changes to all personnel who complete incident reports
• Don't change mandatory field requirements without advance notice to field personnel
• Do document your department's rationale for each configuration choice for future reference
• Consider piloting new mandatory fields as optional first to ensure data quality and user acceptance

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Weather Data Issues:

Q: Weather data is not appearing in incident reports. What should I check? 

A: Verify the weather data checkbox is enabled in Fire Incident Documentation Settings. Contact your system administrator or First Due support if issues persist.

Q: Can I edit weather data that was automatically captured? 

A: Yes.

Q: Does weather data capture conditions throughout the incident or just at dispatch? 

A: Weather data is captured only at the moment of dispatch. It does not update during the incident or capture conditions at arrival, scene stabilization, or other milestones. If changing weather conditions are significant to the incident, document those changes in incident notes.

COVID-19 Special Study:

Q: Should we make COVID-19 documentation mandatory or optional? 

A: This depends on your state's reporting requirements and departmental policies. Make it mandatory if: (1) required by state emergency management or health departments, (2) needed for accurate PPE inventory tracking, (3) required for federal reporting during declared emergencies. Make it optional if tracking for internal purposes only.

Q: How do users decide between "suspected" and "confirmed" COVID-19? 

A: "Suspected" should be selected when operational indicators suggest COVID-19 (respiratory symptoms, known exposure, patient disclosure) but no official test confirmation exists. "Confirmed" should be used only when the patient has a verified positive test or official diagnosis. Train personnel to use "Unknown" when information is insufficient.

Q: Can we use this feature for tracking other disease outbreaks or health emergencies? 

A: The COVID-19 Special Study field is specifically designed for pandemic tracking. For other health emergencies, contact First Due support about configuring additional special study fields or use incident notes and tags for tracking.

Fire Incident EMS Module & ePCR Requirements:

Q: What happens if a user tries to complete an incident that requires an ePCR without completing one? 

A: The system will display a validation error preventing incident completion. The user must either complete an ePCR, attach an existing ePCR, or have an administrator override the requirement (if permitted by system configuration). This ensures compliance with documentation requirements.

Q: Can we require ePCRs for some apparatus but not others responding to the same incident type? 

A: ePCR requirements are set by incident type, not by responding apparatus. However, individual apparatus crew members can indicate patient contact in their apparatus-specific documentation. Only units with actual patient contact need to complete ePCRs, but the incident type determines whether an ePCR is required overall.

Q: We're a combination department—should we enable NFIRS EMS module for all incidents? 

A: Enable the NFIRS EMS module to add EMS data fields to fire incidents, but only require ePCRs for incident types where patient contact is typical. This provides flexibility while ensuring medical documentation when needed. Structure fires without patients don't need ePCRs even if the module is enabled.

Q: Can field personnel see which incident types require ePCRs before they arrive on scene? 

A: Users can see ePCR requirements when creating or viewing an incident report in the system. Consider providing a reference guide or quick-reference card listing incident types with mandatory ePCR requirements to help field personnel prepare appropriate documentation.

Command & Safety Documentation:

Q: Is the Command & Safety section mandatory once enabled? 

A: Enabling the section makes it visible in incident reports, but individual fields within the section may be mandatory or optional depending on system configuration. Check with your system administrator about specific field requirements. Best practice is to document all command transfers and significant command milestones.

Q: How detailed should notes be for each Command & Safety milestone? 

A: Notes should be concise but informative. Include: reason for command transfer, significant findings from size-up, or reasons for activating operations section. Avoid narrative descriptions—focus on factual information that supports incident timeline reconstruction.

Q: Can we add custom milestones to the Command & Safety section? 

A: The Command & Safety section includes standard ICS milestones. For department-specific milestones or additional documentation needs, use incident notes or tags. Contact First Due support if your department requires custom command documentation fields.

General Configuration:

Q: Who can modify Fire Incident Documentation Settings? 

A: Only users with System Administrator permissions can access and modify these settings. This prevents unauthorized changes that could affect compliance, data consistency, or operational requirements.

Q: Do changes to these settings affect existing incident reports? 

A: No, configuration changes apply only to incident reports created after the settings are saved. Previously completed incident reports retain the configuration that was active when they were created. This ensures historical data consistency.

Q: Can different stations or apparatus have different Fire Incident Documentation Settings? 

A: Fire Incident Documentation Settings apply department-wide and cannot be customized per station or apparatus. All incident reports across the department use the same configuration to ensure consistency and standardization. For unique requirements, use incident types or tags to differentiate reporting needs.

Q: How do we know if our current settings are appropriate for our department? 

A: Review settings quarterly with key stakeholders including fire officers, EMS supervisors, training officers, and data/records managers. Compare your configuration against state reporting requirements, department policies, and operational feedback from field personnel. Adjust as operational needs evolve.