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Fire Report Writing in AngelTrack

A walkthrough of how to complete and submit a NERIS report in AngelTrack.

Every fire call in AngelTrack requires a NERIS report composed using AngelTrack's fire report editor, which is part of the PCR. This document will walk you through the process.

If you are looking for help with fire inspection forms, go to the Fire Inspections Guide. If you are looking for help with EMS report completion, go to the EMS Report Writing Guide.

Running a Fire Call

Before you can complete a fire report, you must run a fire call. Running a fire call works just like running an EMS call: AngelTrack shows you the run-call page, offers you driving directions, collects your time punches, and (if required) asks for your odometer readings.

To learn how to do that, refer to the Running a Call Guide.

Accessing Your Unfinished Fire Reports

While you are running a call, you can work on its report by clicking the "Report and Signatures" button on the run-call page.

If not running a call, then you can see and access your unfinished and recent reports from your Crew Home page:

CrewHome.ChecklistsUnfinished

NERIS Ribbon

When AngelTrack's PCR is in NERIS (fire) mode, it shows a different ribbon than it does in NEMSIS (EMS) mode, but it still works like you are accustomed to:

PCRRibbon.Fire

Base Module

The NERIS Base module is required for all responses by fire crews -- even those where all you did was give aid, or were cancelled while still enroute (aka the old NFIRS 611).

In the AngelTrack fire report editor, the Base tab collects all necessary information for these NERIS modules:

  • Base
  • Incident Type(s)
  • Location
  • Location Use
  • Dispatch
  • Non-FD Aid
  • Special Modifiers

About half the data in the aforementioned modules comes from the associated AngelTrack dispatch record, and thus there is no need for the Base tab to collect it again from you. (If you are self-dispatching, you can provide or modify that data by clicking the run ID to open the run ticket editor.)

Alarms Module

The NERIS specification provides for three separate kinds of alarms:

  • Fire alarms

  • Smoke alarms

  • Other alarms (e.g. burglary)

You can fill out all three on the Alarms tab of AngelTrack's NERIS report editor.

Fill out the form as best you can, but leave the fields blank if you aren't sure about the answers.

Tactics Module

In the Tactics tab, you can list all the actions that your unit took... or, you can provide the reason why no action was called for.

You can also specify the timestamps of certain key fire events that occurred, such as "first water on fire"... but remember that the most important timestamps (assigned, enroute, on scene, clear) were collected from you on the Run Call page, and later editable on the Followup page. They are on the Followup page because they apply equally to EMS calls as to fire calls.

Fire Module

AngelTrack will prompt you to fill out the Fire tab if on the Base tab you specify a fire-related incident type. You can also fill it out whenever you see fit, even if the primary incident type is not fire-related.

Aid Module

The Aid tab in the NERIS report editor allows you to specify as many other responders and departments as you gave aid to, or received aid from.

You can freely delete and undelete the Aid records until you've got your report just the way you want it. On each Aid record, provide the other unit's NERIS ID if you know it.

Casualty / Rescue Module

You can create as many casualty records as you like for your NERIS report. You can freely edit, delete, and undelete them.

The same casualty/rescue form is used for firefighter ("FF") casualties as for civilian casualties, though FF casualties have additional datafields available.

Medical / EMS Module

EMS encounters are reportable to your state by means of NEMSIS reports. Each EMS patient with which you make contact requires a separate NEMSIS report. AngelTrack will help you create these.

The first patient you treat during a fire response will be filed under the same dispatch ID. For example, if your fire response is dispatch 12345, then AngelTrack will guide you to create a NERIS fire report 12345 and also a NEMSIS medical report 12345. In this situation the ribbon will change to show all the fire tabs and all the EMS tabs at once. You'll edit the two reports together, pass NERIS+NEMSIS data validation together, and submit them to QA together.

Each additional patient you treat during your fire response will be filed under a separate dispatch ID. For example:

  • Fire response, dispatch 12345

  • First EMS encounter, same dispatch 12345

  • Additional EMS encounter, new dispatch 12346

  • Additional EMS encounter, new dispatch 12347

AngelTrack will automatically create the additional dispatch records for you, right from the Medical tab, as you add EMS encounters. They will be pre-filled with situational data from your fire response record, but will be EMS-only encounters, requiring a completed NEMSIS chart. They will stack up on your Crew Home page, waiting to be completed, same as you would for a non-fire EMS encounter.

If you later change your mind and delete/undelete any of the additional EMS encounter records, AngelTrack will automatically cancel/uncancel the associated dispatch records.

When submitting your final NERIS report, AngelTrack pulls the required medical details fields from the NEMSIS report you filled out -- specifically from the Followup page. These datafields are shown on the Medical tab in the NERIS report editor; you must visit the relevant report's Followup page to change them.

Hazards Module

You can create as many released-chemical records as you like for your NFIRS report. You can freely edit, delete, and undelete them. Per the NFIRS rules, AngelTrack will include the HazMat module and the chemicals when sending your report to the state fire database if the incident type is any of: 100-244, 320-324, 371, 400-431, 451, 900.

Unit Responses Module

AngelTrack automatically generates the Unit Responses module for you, using its dispatch records, so it does not appear as a tab in the NERIS report editor.  

You can double-check the data AngelTrack intends to send in this module by viewing the printout of your completed report. If you neeed to make any changes, the data lives in three places:

  • The main run ticket;

  • The assigned shift record(s); and

  • The Followup form for each responder.

Adding and removing responding vehicles and crew

To add or remove responding vehicles, you must use AngelTrack's dispatch system to create the necessary shift records (vehicle and its crew) and then assign them to the call.

To add an individual crew member, if AngelTrack is in unattended mode, you can add them right from the Crew tab of the PCR; otherwise, you must use AngelTrack's dispatch system: Open the run ticket, switch to the "Crew" tab, and add the person from the dropdown list of choices. All such manually-attached crew members are assumed to be onboard the primary responding vehicle.

To remove an individual crew member from a call, again you must visit the dispatch system and edit the run ticket.

Items Marked 'Deleted' Are Not Uploaded

In AngelTrack's NERIS report editor, these types of item can be marked as 'deleted':

  • Exposure
  • Casualty / Rescue
  • Medical / EMS
  • Aid given / Aid received
  • Hazards

Deleted items still appear in the NERIS report editor, and can be freely undeleted and redeleted as you see fit, but as long as they are marked 'deleted', AngelTrack will exclude them when printing, emailing, and/or uploading the report.

Followup

The Followup page captures the logistical information about your response: Time punches, delays, odometers, GPS coordinates, crew disposition, and basic conditions on-scene. It is the same data as gets captured for an EMS response, and so about half its fields will be automatically set to "Not applicable" for a fire response. 

Many of the fields in the Followup will be automatically set for you by the run-call page as you make your time punches. The other fields are nevertheless useful to your agency for analytics purposes.

If your agency collects odometer readings for fire responses, you will input them on the run-call page or else on the Followup page.

If your fire incident includes a medical encounter and patient record, then the Followup will collect the rest of the data needed for a NEMSIS (medical) chart.

Customer / Patient

If your dispatcher attaches a patient record to the call, representing the billable customer, then the "Customer" button will appear in the PCR's ribbon. Normally a fire call will not have a patient record attached, except in cases where it is the billable party, such as for non-emergency services like inspections, or a chargeable false-alarm.

In any case, the Customer button and associated PCR page are not associated with the NERIS Casualty module.

The Customer tab will change to read 'Patient' instead if your NERIS report includes an EMS encounter, which you can trigger using the Medical tab.

If you need to use the Customer button for the requesting customer / homeowner / property owner, but also need to include a medical report for an EMS encounter, then use the Medical tab to add an additional dispatch for the EMS encounter, and delete the Medical record for the current dispatch.

Documents

You can use the Documents tab to upload electronic images and documents, just like you would for an EMS call.

Signatures

Normally there are no signature requirements for a fire call. However, all the signature forms are available to you, including any user-defined signatures and custom forms that might be configured.

History

If there is a patient record attached to the trip as the customer, then the History tab will show that person's recent history of BLS+ transports.

Otherwise, if the scene of the incident is known to AngelTrack and therefore has a facility record (possibly including customer residences), then the History tab will show that location's recent history of visits.

Plus-One Codes / Custom Picklist Values

If you enjoyed the old NFIRS +1 codes, and wish to have the same functionality in your NERIS fire reports, you can use AngelTrack's custom picklist values system to do so.

Note that AngelTrack does not report custom picklist values (f/k/a plus-one codes) to your state fire database; AngelTrack will auto-convert them to their base codes during upload.

Exposure Fires

You may create as many exposure-fire reports as you like, by visiting the Exposures tab in the PCR. You can freely edit, delete, and undelete them.

Submit to QA / NERIS Data Validation

When AngelTrack sees that you've completed certain minimums in your report, such that no buttons in the PCR ribbon are bright yellow indicating missing data, the PCR ribbon will show a "Submit to QA" button. Click this button when you are satisfied with your report and are ready to check NERIS data validation.

If your fire report has an attached EMS chart, then it will also be time for NEMSIS data validation.

AngelTrack will apply all NERIS to verify that your report is acceptable to the state fire database. If any validation rules fail, AngelTrack will show the error message, and will offer you a link to the relevant page of the report, where AngelTrack will highlight the relevant datafield(s).

Note that some of the data validation rules apply even if the call is a cancellation or aid-given, where you are not required to do much paperwork. For example, if you gave aid, then you are not required to file the Fire module... but if you do nevertheless file it, then its validation rules will apply.

To learn more about NERIS and NEMSIS data validation, please visit the Data Validation Guide.

Print or Email

At any time you can print your NERIS report, using the Print button.

You can also use the Email button to ask AngelTrack to email out a PDF of your report, if AngelTrack has an email address on file for the billable patient (if any) or for the incident location (if attached to the trip as a facility record). If no email recipients are available, then as your dispatcher to attach the necessary patient or facility record to the dispatch.

State and National Uploads

AngelTrack handles all of your state and national uploads for you, using upload credentials that you receive from your state or from FEMA and which you input into AngelTrack for use on your behalf.

The aforementioned is handled by AngelTrack's outflows system. To learn more about that, please visit the Outflows Guide, and the Fire Upload Guide.