Purpose Statement

Background Information

1. Pre-Plans

1. Responder

1. Inspections

1. Community Connect

1. Incident Documentation (NFIRS & ePCR)

1. Fire Investigation

Required Permissions

1. Pre-Plans - Read
2. Pre-Plans - Edit
3. Pre-Plans - Publish
4. Allow Edit Premise Code
5. Calculate Needed Fire Flow - Button
6. Calculate Risk Assessment - Button

Do's

• Establish clear departmental SOPs, SOGs, or policies specifying which occupancy record fields are required and which are optional to ensure data consistency across all pre-plans.
• Use the Field Management feature to configure occupancy record fields as required, editable, or invisible based on user roles and departmental business processes.
• Take advantage of the system's automatic conversion and calculation features by entering measurements in your preferred units and allowing FirstDue to handle conversions.
• Enter resource requirement warnings for any critical tactical information that responding crews need to know immediately upon dispatch.
• Calculate needed fire flow and risk assessment scores for all target hazards and high-risk occupancies to support tactical planning and resource allocation.
• Publish pre-plans promptly after editing occupancy records to ensure data is available across all FirstDue modules and to other users.
• Review and update occupancy records regularly, especially after inspections, building modifications, or changes in occupancy use.

Don'ts

• Don't save occupancy record changes as "Draft" and assume the information is available to other users or modules—drafts are saved locally only and do not update the master occupancy record.
• Don't manually calculate measurements, areas, or volumes when the system can perform these calculations automatically based on entered dimensions.
• Don't skip completing required fields for needed fire flow or risk assessment calculations, as incomplete data will prevent the system from generating results.
• Don't enter resource warnings for minor or non-critical information that could cause alert fatigue for responding crews.
• Don't make changes to occupancy records without understanding how those changes may affect other FirstDue modules that share this data.
• Don't ignore field validation messages or required field indicators, as incomplete records may not function properly throughout the FirstDue system.

Tips & Recommendations

• When entering building dimensions, start with the most familiar measurement unit for your department (typically feet for US departments) and let the system handle conversions rather than manually converting measurements.
• Use the three-column expanded view when working with complex occupancy records to improve visibility and reduce scrolling between sections.
• Coordinate occupancy record data entry with Fire Prevention inspections to leverage inspection findings and ensure consistency between modules.
• For buildings with irregular shapes or multiple sections, consider documenting the methodology used for area and volume calculations in the comments or notes section.
• Establish a departmental standard for what constitutes a resource requirement warning to maintain consistency and prevent overuse of the warning tile feature.
• Create a checklist or workflow document that aligns with your department's Field Management configuration to guide users through occupancy record completion.
• When calculating risk assessment scores, review all contributing factors to ensure accuracy and consistency with NFPA standards and local policies.
• Periodically audit published occupancy records to identify incomplete or outdated information that needs updating.