Purpose Statement

This article provides answers to commonly asked questions about documenting fire incidents within the NERIS (National Emergency Medical Services Information System) module in First Due. Fire departments that provide both fire suppression and EMS services use NERIS to document their fire incident responses, whether patient care is provided or not. This FAQ resource addresses common questions from fire department personnel who document fire incidents in NERIS alongside their fire response activities.

Background Information

Many fire departments provide dual fire suppression and EMS services, requiring documentation in NERIS for incidents that may or may not involve patient care. Structure fires, vehicle fires, wildland fires, fire alarm activations, and other fire-related responses often require NERIS documentation to maintain compliance with state reporting requirements, even when the primary activity is fire suppression rather than medical transport.

Understanding how to properly document fire incidents in NERIS is critical for fire departments, as these calls involve unique considerations such as firefighter injuries, civilian smoke inhalation, burn assessments, carbon monoxide exposure, and documentation requirements that differ from traditional transport-based EMS agencies. Fire departments that don't regularly transport patients face specific challenges in completing NERIS documentation while managing fire suppression operations.

This resource is organized into three main categories: Setup (configuration and initial system questions), Documentation (data entry and validation questions specific to fire incidents), and Submitting & Exporting (file generation and compliance questions). The information provided reflects NERIS/NEMSIS standards and First Due's implementation of those standards for fire department operations.

Required Permissions

No specific permissions are required to view this FAQ article. However, some of the solutions referenced may require specific permissions:

• Field Customization: Requires Admin or Configuration Manager permissions to modify field requirements and read-only settings
• Override Read-Only Fields: Requires Officer or Supervisor permissions for specific override capabilities
• NERIS Setup: Requires Admin permissions to modify export configurations
• Preplan Import: Requires standard incident documentation permissions
• Fire Incident Report Access: Requires appropriate documentation permissions for company officers and firefighters

Contact your system administrator if you need access to perform any configuration changes mentioned in this article.

Setup

Our department operates under multiple FDIDs or responds to mutual aid calls. Does First Due support this workflow?

Yes! First Due can support multiple FDID configurations under a single fire department. When you add multiple agency identifiers, the form can be configured to allow your crews to select the appropriate FDID or mutual aid jurisdiction they are operating under for that specific fire response. Your administrator can customize labels to make documenting the correct agency affiliation easier during fire operations.

Do apparatus times from our fire responses push into NERIS?

Yes. Firefighters logged into Responder as Unit Users can have their apparatus times populate into NERIS documentation, regardless of whether patient transport occurs. This ensures accurate documentation of dispatch times, response times, on-scene times, and available times for fire incidents. Your Client Success or Implementation Manager can assist you with setting this up to integrate your fire operations timeline into NERIS reports.

Can I make fields required specifically for fire incident documentation?

Yes, you can make select fields required above and beyond the NERIS/NEMSIS standard through our Field Customization. This is particularly useful for fire incidents where you may want to require documentation of fire conditions, exposure assessments, or firefighter rehabilitation activities. Not every field is available as documenting certain fields leads to triggering other NEMSIS validation requirements that may cause submission failures.

How can I prevent CAD data from being altered on fire incident reports?

Select fields, specifically those most commonly imported from CAD (such as incident type, location, and dispatch times), can be set as Read Only through Field Customization. This is especially important for fire incidents where coordination between your fire records management system and NERIS documentation is critical. There is a permission object that can override this Read Only setting if manual changes are needed by a chief officer or supervisor.

Documentation

What is the correct way to document a fire incident when no patient care was provided?

When your department responds to a fire incident but no patient contact or treatment occurs, you should still complete a NERIS report documenting the response. Select the appropriate "No Patient Contact" or "No Patient Found" disposition. Document the incident details, fire conditions, scene assessment findings, and reason for no patient care (such as "Working structure fire - no occupants present" or "Fire alarm activation - building evacuated, no injuries"). This maintains compliance with state reporting requirements even for non-transport fire operations.

How do I document multiple patients from a single fire incident?

Each patient (whether civilian or firefighter) requires a separate Patient Care Report (PCR) within NERIS. Create individual reports for each person treated at the fire scene. Link these reports to the same incident event to maintain the relationship between multiple patients from the same fire. Document fire-specific details such as smoke exposure duration, burn locations, heat exhaustion, and rehabilitation needs for each patient as applicable. This is particularly important when documenting firefighter injuries or rehab activities during extended fire operations.

Why are some Treatment/Procedures not available when documenting fire-related injuries?

NEMSIS standards have specific rules around documenting certain procedures with specific chief complaints or primary impressions. The system prevents selection of incompatible procedure codes that would result in validation errors during NERIS submission. For fire incidents, ensure you're selecting appropriate burn care, airway management, smoke inhalation treatment, or firefighter rehabilitation protocols that align with NEMSIS requirements.

Can data from our fire Preplans come directly into my NERIS report?

Yes! If the fire incident address is matched to a Preplan address in your system, there will be a prompt asking if you'd like to import relevant data from the Preplan. This can include building information, hazard details, occupancy information, and contact details. For fire incidents, this provides valuable scene information that supports both your fire suppression operations and NERIS documentation requirements.

How should I document smoke inhalation or carbon monoxide exposure at fire scenes?

Document smoke inhalation under the appropriate chief complaint (such as "Inhalation Injury" or "Difficulty Breathing"). Use the Assessment section to document exposure details, including estimated exposure duration in the fire environment, smoke characteristics (light/moderate/heavy), and fire conditions. Record carbon monoxide levels in the Vital Signs section and any oxygen therapy or treatments provided during firefighter rehab or civilian care. Include fire operations information and incident command structure in your narrative.

Do I need to complete NERIS documentation for firefighter rehabilitation at working fires?

Check with your department's protocols and state requirements. Many jurisdictions require NERIS documentation when firefighters receive medical assessment or treatment during rehab operations, even if they return to duty. Document vital signs, fluid replacement, cooling measures, and any treatments provided. Use appropriate dispositions such as "Treated, Released" or "Refused Transport" if the firefighter returns to active duty after rehab.

Submitting & Exporting

I received an export file that contains apparatus and firefighter information from fire incidents. What is this file?

The NEMSIS standard has multiple data export components. The incident-level export contains your patient care data from all incidents including fire responses, and there's also an "Agency/Demographics File" that contains information related to your personnel, apparatus, and stations. This Demographics File is part of the NEMSIS standard and may be required by your state EMS office. We have options to configure this file in our NERIS Setup if modifications are needed for your fire department's reporting structure.

My NERIS submission report has warnings about fire incident data. Why is this happening?

Warnings are typically a result of data elements that your state repository flags for review but don't prevent successful submission. For fire incidents, this might include special documentation fields, extended scene times typical of working fires, or multiple apparatus responses that trigger review flags. Warnings still result in a successful import and don't require correction unless specified by your state EMS office.

My NERIS submission has errors related to fire incident documentation. Why?

First Due strives to be 100% compliant with NEMSIS rules and regulations. Sometimes when exporting data to state repositories, those repositories have different interpretations of validation rules, particularly for fire department operations where transport doesn't occur. Common fire incident errors include incompatible procedure/impression combinations, missing required scene disposition documentation, or timing conflicts related to fire operations. Review the specific error message and correct the identified field. Contact support if you need assistance interpreting fire incident-specific validation errors.

How do fire incident reports in NERIS coordinate with our NFIRS reports?

NERIS and NFIRS are separate reporting systems maintained by different federal agencies (NEMSIS for EMS, NFIRS for fire). First Due maintains both systems independently, but incident data such as location, times, and apparatus information can be shared when both fire and EMS modules are used within your department. This coordination helps ensure consistency in dual reporting requirements. Contact your administrator about integration options to streamline documentation across both NFIRS and NERIS for your fire department operations.

Best Practices

Fire Incident Documentation Standards: Establish clear protocols for your firefighters and company officers on when and how to document fire incident responses in NERIS, including standby situations, fire investigations, working fires, and firefighter rehab operations.

Scene Safety and Fire Conditions Documentation: Always document fire conditions and scene safety considerations in your narrative, including fire stages (incipient, growth, fully developed), incident command structure, hazardous conditions identified, and PPE utilized during fire suppression activities.

Exposure Documentation for Fire Operations: For any patient with potential smoke or chemical exposure during fire operations, document exposure duration, fire behavior, substances involved, and environmental conditions even if symptoms are not immediately present. This is critical for both civilians and firefighters.

Multi-Patient Fire Scene Protocol: Develop a consistent approach for documenting multiple patients from fire incidents, including mass casualty triage if applicable, incident command integration, and patient tracking methods during chaotic fire ground operations.

Burn Assessment Consistency: Use standardized burn documentation including total body surface area (TBSA) calculation, burn depth classification (superficial, partial thickness, full thickness), and anatomical location to ensure NEMSIS compliance and quality data for fire-related injuries.

Firefighter Injury and Rehab Documentation: Establish clear guidelines for when firefighter injuries or rehab activities require NERIS documentation versus internal injury reports only. Consider your state's requirements for documenting firefighter medical assessments during extended fire operations.

Timeline Accuracy for Fire Operations: Pay special attention to accurate time documentation for fire incidents, as these times coordinate with your NFIRS reports and CAD records. Extended fire operations require clear documentation of when patient care occurred relative to fire suppression activities.

CAD Integration: Work with your administrator to identify which CAD-imported fields should be set as Read Only for fire incidents to maintain data integrity across both NFIRS and NERIS systems, while allowing officer override capability when necessary.

Regular Configuration Review: Periodically review your Field Customization settings to ensure required fields for fire incidents align with your department's documentation standards and state NEMSIS requirements, particularly for non-transport fire operations.

Disposition Documentation: Train personnel on appropriate disposition codes for fire incidents where no transport occurs. Proper use of "No Patient Contact," "Treated/Released," or "Refused Transport" dispositions ensures compliance without creating unnecessary transport documentation.

Additional Resources

Need Additional Support?

If your question isn't answered in this FAQ, consider these resources:

• Contact your system administrator for department-specific configuration questions related to fire incident documentation in NERIS
• Reach out to your Client Success Manager for NERIS setup assistance tailored to fire department operations
• Review NEMSIS standards documentation for detailed requirements on documenting fire-related responses
• Consult your state EMS office for jurisdiction-specific fire department NERIS reporting requirements
• Check related help articles for specific feature documentation on firefighter rehab documentation, burn assessment protocols, or non-transport incident reporting

Related Questions?

This FAQ will be updated periodically as new common questions emerge related to fire incident documentation in NERIS for fire departments. If you encounter a recurring issue not addressed here, submit feedback so we can expand this resource.