Fire RMS Report Narrative Quiz

Emergency Incident Reports - Standard Operating Guideline

• Purpose: To direct Toronto Fire Services (TFS) Company Officers on using the Fire Records Management System (RMS) for recording actions and collecting necessary data for TFS and the Ontario Fire Marshal and Emergency Management (OFMEM).
• Legal Obligation: TFS is legally required to provide RMS reports to OFMEM and potentially other agencies.
• Responsibility:
  • Company Officers: Complete Fire RMS Reports or narratives accurately and thoroughly before shift end.
  • District Chiefs: Ensure Company Officers follow the guideline, review their reports thoroughly and expeditiously before shift end, and ensure Platoon Chiefs adhere to the guideline.
  • Platoon Chiefs: Ensure District Chiefs follow the guideline.
• General Guidelines for Fire RMS Reports:
  • Include incident number, call date, location, information from TFS Communications, potential rescues, times of key actions (extinguishing agent applied, command established, "under control," command terminated, fire prevention and/or investigation personnel notified, and who attended), any delays in arrival, details of building construction/use, observations on arrival, comments from neighbors/bystanders, names of incident/sector officers, and details for the narrative.
• Fire RMS Report Narrative: Must include:
  • Owner and occupant information
  • Weather conditions
  • Road conditions
  • Any response delay reasons
  • Conditions upon arrival
  • Actions taken during the incident
  • Salvage or overhaul tasks
  • Scene observations at incident end
  • Personnel or structure turnovers for investigation
  • Firefighter/civilian injuries or fatalities
  • Difficulties experienced
  • Fire watch details and apparatus assignments
  • Estimates of loss and insurance information
  • Police, ambulance, and other agency attendance details (name, badge/unit number, and arrival time)
• Medical Calls: Do NOT include personal information in medical call reports.
• Auto Narrative: Used as a framework, additional details must be supplemented by officer notes. Only Officer of Note should use this feature.
• Officer of Note: Typically the first arriving company officer unless otherwise determined by the Incident Commander.
  • If District Chief is only on scene, they are the Officer of Note.
• Incident Report: Completed by Officer of Note. Reviewed by District Chief if completed by a District Chief, and reviewed by Platoon Chief.
• Unit Report: Completed by all officers except Officer of Note, detailing their crew's actions in all incidents, unless a false alarm. Includes staging activities.
  • Does not need a narrative for false alarm incidents where apparatus only staged or cleared prior to arrival unless requested by Incident Commander.
• Exposure Reports: Officer of Note ensures completion of exposure reports; Officer of Note may delegate aspects to other officers.
• Community Risk Reduction (CRR) Referrals: Company officers reporting Fire Code violations (not immediately dangerous to life and health) to the CRR Division, using the Fire Prevention Notes box in the Incident Report. Includes relevant apparatus and platoon information. Separate narratives are required.
• TAPP-C Referrals: Operations personnel observing potential TAPP-C intervention cases must document details using the Fire RMS Incident or Unit Report. Information about the minors involved is not required in the report.
• Tools for Completing Incident/Unit Reports:
  • Use only TFS computers
  • Complete incidents as soon as possible when details are fresh
  • Officer Notebooks are for incident information only
  • Hardcopy reports (e.g., Incident Observation Forms) are completed using station computers
• Review of Reports:
  • District Chiefs review all submitted incident/unit reports for accuracy, detail, and proper reporting completion for all incidents to which they were dispatched, medical responses, and incidents not attended by a district chief but handled by the apparatus.
• Password Protection: Passwords are considered electronic signatures and should be kept confidential.
• Noteworthy Incidents: Incident Commander emails incident details to Platoon Chief, who then notifies the Division Commander.
• Support:
  • Reports system failures to [email protected] and records this in the Fire Station Logbook.
• Release of Reports:
  • Reports (Emergency Incident Reports) accessible via the TFS intranet or for legal purposes (court) from either a company officer or district chief or above
  • Public requests handled by the Data Analytics and Decision Support section, adhering to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.