What - The Print Form has been updated to display clearer and more intuitive folder labels in the Attachments and Pictures sections, eliminating confusing terminology when source folders don't exist or when displaying folder organization. Files that exist in the parent category without a specific subfolder assignment no longer display "Source folder: Root" in the Print Report and instead show a blank cell, providing a cleaner presentation for attachments that haven't been organized into specific folders. For all other folders including both default system folders and user-created custom folders, the label has been simplified from "Source folder" to just "Folder" throughout the Print Report, making the folder organization more immediately understandable. These label improvements apply purely to the display presentation in printed reports and do not affect any underlying functionality—the Insert Image feature continues to work normally, the Evidence Items Attachments functionality operates as before, all supported and unsupported attachment formats maintain their existing behavior, and file validation rules remain unchanged. The enhanced folder labeling applies automatically to both existing Fire Investigation records and new investigations without requiring any configuration changes or data updates.

Why - This enhancement was implemented due to customer requests for clearer and more professional folder labeling in printed Fire Investigation reports, particularly addressing confusion created by the "Source folder: Root" terminology that appeared for attachments not assigned to specific subfolders. Fire investigators and administrators reported that the "Root" terminology was technically accurate but confusing for end users, prosecutors, and other stakeholders reviewing printed reports who did not understand what "Root" meant in the context of file organization, and the label created unnecessary visual clutter when many attachments existed in the parent category without subfolder assignments. Agencies needed simplified folder labels that would be immediately understandable to non-technical report reviewers, wanted cleaner presentation for attachments in the parent category that didn't require explicit folder designation, and required consistent, professional-looking folder organization in printed reports used for legal proceedings and official documentation. By removing the "Root" label for parent category files and simplifying the folder designation to just "Folder" for all organized attachments, the system provides clearer visual hierarchy in printed reports, eliminates confusing technical terminology that doesn't add value for report readers, maintains professional appearance in court submissions and official documentation, and improves overall report readability while preserving all existing attachment functionality and organization capabilities.

How - This enhancement applies automatically to all Print Reports with no configuration required

Use Case - A fire investigator completes a residential structure fire investigation and organizes the attached documentation into several categories: 12 scene photographs are placed in a custom "Scene Photos" folder, 8 evidence collection images are stored in an "Evidence Documentation" folder, and 3 general incident overview photos are uploaded directly to the parent attachments category without subfolder assignment because they don't fit into the specialized folders. When generating the Print Report for submission to the insurance company and local fire marshal's office, the investigator reviews the Attachments section and sees a clean, professional presentation: the three overview photos in the parent category display without any folder label (a blank cell), clearly indicating they are general attachments not requiring subfolder categorization, while the organized photos show the simplified "Folder: Scene Photos" and "Folder: Evidence Documentation" labels that are immediately understandable to any report reviewer. Previously, the three overview photos would have displayed "Source folder: Root," which caused confusion during a legal proceeding when an attorney asked the investigator to explain what "Root" meant and whether it indicated some technical problem with the file organization. With the improved labeling, the printed report presents a clear visual hierarchy—unlabeled attachments for general documentation and clearly labeled folders for organized content—that insurance adjusters, fire marshals, attorneys, and other stakeholders can immediately understand without technical knowledge of file system terminology. This enhanced presentation supports professional report appearance in official submissions, eliminates unnecessary explanations during depositions and court testimony about file organization terminology, maintains clean visual layout in printed reports with dozens of attachments, and provides the intuitive folder labeling necessary for stakeholders who need to quickly locate and reference specific attachments based on their organizational category.

What - The Fire Investigation module now uses unified data sources that align with the Fire Department module configuration for Response Zone and Property Use fields, ensuring consistent data mapping and integrity when importing information between modules. The Response Zone field now references the batt_dept_response_zone table and is managed entirely within Fire Department Setup, while the Property Use field now pulls directly from the NFIRS Dictionary file as "Property Type Where Incident Occurred," matching the source used in the FD module. These aligned data sources ensure that values imported from the FD Scene section into FI investigations remain consistent and properly mapped, with dropdowns and form references automatically reflecting the unified sources while maintaining existing field behavior and validation. Additionally, the Occupancy Zone field has been relabeled to Inspection Zone throughout the Fire Investigation module, including the Form Builder, Field Management, and Print Report, with dropdown values continuing to pull from Pre-Planning > Pre-Plan List > Edit Address > Occupancy Tab > Inspection Zone to maintain consistency with terminology used across other platform modules.

Why - These enhancements were implemented due to customer requests for seamless data integration between Fire Department incident reports and Fire Investigation records, eliminating inconsistencies and data mapping errors that occurred when the modules used different reference sources for the same fields. Fire investigators reported that Response Zone and Property Use values imported from FD incidents would not match FI dropdown options or would fail to map correctly, requiring manual correction and creating data quality issues in investigation records. Agencies needed centralized management of Response Zone lists within FD Setup to ensure both modules used identical zone configurations, and they required Property Use values to align with NFIRS Dictionary standards used in the FD module to maintain compliance and reporting consistency. The Occupancy Zone to Inspection Zone label change addresses feedback that terminology should match the Pre-Planning module where the source data originates, reducing confusion for users who work across multiple modules and improving overall platform terminology consistency. By aligning data sources and standardizing field labels, the system enables reliable data import between FD and FI modules, supports consistent NFIRS reporting, and lays the groundwork for ongoing Fire Investigation import feature improvements.

How - These improvements work automatically with your existing configurations

Use Case - A fire investigation unit responds to a commercial structure fire at a warehouse facility located in Response Zone 3 of their jurisdiction. The first-arriving engine company completes a Fire Department incident report documenting the scene, selecting "Zone 3 - Industrial District" from the Response Zone dropdown and "Storage - Warehouse" from the Property Type field, both configured in their Fire Department Setup and NFIRS Dictionary. When the fire investigator opens a new Fire Investigation record and imports the Scene data from the FD incident report, the Response Zone field automatically populates with "Zone 3 - Industrial District" and the Property Use field displays "Storage - Warehouse," both values mapping correctly without any manual intervention or data correction required. Previously, the investigator would have encountered mapping errors or mismatched dropdown options because the FI module used different reference sources, requiring them to manually look up and re-select the correct values. The investigator also notices that the field previously labeled "Occupancy Zone" now reads "Inspection Zone," matching the terminology they use in the Pre-Planning module when reviewing building occupancy information, eliminating the confusion about whether these fields represented the same or different data elements. This data source alignment enables the investigator to complete the Scene section of their investigation report in seconds rather than minutes, ensures NFIRS compliance across both FD and FI documentation, maintains data quality for regional reporting requirements, and supports the department's ongoing implementation of automated FD-to-FI data import features that will further streamline investigation documentation workflows.