Rich Text Area Support for Fire Investigation Custom Questions (New Feature)

• What — A new Rich Text Area custom question type is now available in Fire Investigation, allowing investigators to enter and format narrative content using a markdown toolbar. This addition supports structured, detailed text input without overloading existing findings fields.
• Why — Investigators needed a dedicated space to capture formatted narrative content within custom questions. This provides a cleaner, more organized way to document detailed information directly within the investigation form.
• How
  • The Rich Text Area question type is available when building custom questions in the Fire Investigation form.
  • Navigate to the Field Management setup area.
  • When creating or editing a custom question, select Rich Text Area as the question type.
  • Use the markdown toolbar to apply formatting such as bold, italics, lists, and other supported styles.
  • Inline images can be inserted using attachments from the investigation's Attachments section only.
  • This question type is supported in both the form view and Form Builder PDF print output.
  • Images sourced outside of the investigation's Attachments section are not supported for inline use.
• Use Case — An investigator documenting a complex fire origin narrative can use the Rich Text Area to write a formatted, multi-paragraph account directly within a custom question field. A supervisor reviewing a completed investigation can view and print a properly formatted PDF that includes the rich text content from custom questions. An investigator can also insert relevant attachment images inline within a narrative custom question to provide visual context alongside written findings.

Expanded Dropdown Options for Fire Investigation Coded Fields (Feature Enhancement)

• What — Unknown, N/A, and None options have been added to all applicable coded dropdown and list fields across Fire Investigation. These additions apply throughout the form, including field management and printed/PDF output.
• Why — Investigators often encounter situations where information is genuinely unavailable or not applicable. Providing standardized Unknown, N/A, and None options ensures data can be recorded accurately without forcing an incorrect selection.
• How
  • This update applies to coded dropdown and list fields across multiple sections of the Fire Investigation form, including Findings, Investigation Resources, Incident Data, Scene, Persons Involved, and Analysis.
  • Navigate to a Fire Investigation record.
  • Open any applicable coded dropdown or list field within the in-scope sections.
  • Select Unknown, N/A, or None as appropriate when the information is unavailable or not applicable.
  • These options will also appear in Field Management settings and will reflect accurately on printed and PDF reports.
  • Fields left unanswered will be hidden on printed reports by default. If a field has been manually added by your agency, it will display a dash instead.
• Use Case — An investigator who cannot determine the ignition source during a scene examination can select Unknown to accurately reflect the gap in findings rather than leaving the field blank or choosing an incorrect value. When completing a wildfire report, an investigator can select N/A for structure-related fields that do not apply to the incident. On printed investigation reports, unanswered fields are hidden by default, helping reduce visual clutter and keeping the report focused on completed information.

Boolean Fields in Fire Investigations Now Support Full Value List Management (Feature Enhancement)

• What – Boolean/toggle fields in Fire Investigations Field Management now include a Values Tab, providing full list management capabilities consistent with other dropdown fields. Users can view, add, edit, reorder, activate or deactivate values for these fields.
• Why – Boolean/toggle fields previously did not support customization or management of their available values, limiting flexibility for organizations that need to tailor options to their workflows and reporting standards. This enhancement brings these fields in line with the field management capabilities available for other field types.
• How
  • Navigate to Fire Investigations > Field Management.
  • Locate a Boolean/toggle field within an applicable section, such as Scene Information, Persons Involved, or Analysis.
  • Select the field to open its settings.
  • Select the Values Tab to view the field’s existing default values.
  • From the Values Tab, users can:
    • Add new values that will be selectable within investigations.
    • Edit value descriptions.
    • Reorder values to adjust their display position.
    • Activate or deactivate values to control availability.
    • Delete values that are no longer needed.
  • This functionality is available across multiple subsections, including Structure Fire, Vehicle, Wildfire, Marine, Injury, Examination, Evidence, and Electric Panels.
• Use Case – An administrator can add organization-specific options to a Boolean field in Scene Information, deactivate outdated default values in Persons Involved to reduce unnecessary choices during data entry, or reorder values in an Evidence field to align with established reporting processes.