Documenting Fire Short Form from within an ePCR

Documenting Fire Short Form from within an ePCR

Purpose Statement

This article provides comprehensive guidance for configuring and using the Fire Incident Short Form feature within EMS documentation, enabling simultaneous completion of EMS documentation and fire incident reporting.

Background Information

The Fire Incident Short Form eliminates duplicate documentation by integrating essential fire incident reporting fields directly into the EMS documentation interface. This feature leverages CAD data sharing to auto-populate common fields, significantly reducing documentation time while maintaining reporting compliance standards.

Required Permissions

  1. EMS Setup access (for initial configuration)
  2. EMS documentation module access
  3. Fire incident module access

Video



Step-by-Step Guide


Enabling the Fire Short Form:



1) Navigate to EMS Setup -> General.

2) Enable the Fire EMS Short Form.

3) Choose Form Requirement standards:
    1. Mandatory: Requires the Fire Short Form to be completed in every ePCR.
    2. Optional: No requirement, however, if a provider completes the ePCR without completing the Fire Short Form, a popup reminder is displayed. See below:
                                                             

    1. Never: Like Optional, there is no requirement to complete the Fire Short Form. No popup reminder is displayed. The form always remains available for providers if needed.

Completing the Fire Short Form:

1. Click on Download CAD.


Click on Download CAD.



2. Select appropriate incident and click on icon under Actions.


Select appropriate incident and click on icon under Actions.



3. Select Unit you are completing the report as.


Select Unit you are completing the report as.



4. Click on "Download CAD".






5. Click on "Import" if you want to import crew members associated to this unit.






6. Click on Fire Short Form.

Info
Associating an Incident Report to the EMS Report activates the "Fire Short Form" from the left section stack.






7. Clicking on "Complete" will light up all Incident Documentation requirements in red.






8. Fill out Fire Incident documentation Fields as appropriate.


Fill out Fire Incident documentation Fields as appropriate.



9. Select Overall Department Actions taken.


Select Overall Department Actions taken.



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


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



11. From within Fire Short Form you can:
Info
Open Incident- Opens full Fire Form within the Fire Incident List. Will simultaneously close and save the EMS Documentation as a draft.
Save as a Draft - Saves the Fire Short Form as a Draft
Complete- Runs Validations for NERIS and Department Required Fields.



Best Practices


For Administrators
  1. Start with "Optional" setting during rollout
  2. Ensure CAD integration is properly configured
  3. Train providers on workflow changes before implementation
  4. Monitor adoption rates and gather feedback
For EMS Providers
  1. Always attach CAD data before accessing Short Form
  2. Review auto-populated fields for accuracy
  3. Use narrative templates for consistency
  4. Address validation errors promptly using provided guidance
Workflow Optimization
  1. Complete Short Form immediately after patient care documentation
  2. Verify incident type compatibility (31-, 32-series supported)
  3. Coordinate with fire personnel to avoid concurrent editing conflicts

Troubleshooting & FAQs

Common Issues

Q: Fire Incident Short Form section not appearing
A: Verify EMS documentation is attached to CAD incident data. The Short Form requires CAD information to function.

Q: Concurrent editing conflicts
A: Only one user can access the fire incident record at a time. If someone is using the Short Form, the Fire Incident List record will be locked, and vice versa.

Q: Validation errors on completion
A: Review highlighted required fields. Use "Open Incident" button to access full Fire Form for complex corrections.

Q: Custom fields not appearing
A: Custom required fields appear at the bottom of the Short Form. Fields tied to apparatus or personnel require access to the full Fire Form.
Supported Incident Types






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