NERIS Narratives

NERIS Narratives

EPR FireWorks Documentation – Narratives

Narratives

Overview

NERIS provides two narrative sections for documenting written accounts of the incident. The Obstacles Narrative documents challenges encountered during the response, while the Incident Narrative provides a comprehensive description of the entire emergency event.


Alert

Disclaimer 

NERIS is currently under development by the Fire Safety Research Institute (FSRI). This guide reflects the system as implemented in EPR FireWorks. Functionality may evolve as NERIS continues development toward full national implementation by January 2026.


Accessing Narrative Sections

  1. Navigate to the Incidents module in EPR FireWorks
  2. Select the incident record
  3. Click either Obstacles Narrative or Incident Narrative in the left navigation menu

Narrative Types

Obstacles Narrative

The Obstacles Narrative section is used to document specific challenges, impediments, or unusual circumstances encountered during the incident response. This information helps identify operational difficulties and informs future training and preparedness efforts.

Key elements to include:

  1. Access problems
  2. Weather challenges
  3. Equipment limitations
  4. Resource constraints
  5. Communication issues
  6. Structural or environmental hazards

Incident Narrative

The Incident Narrative section provides a comprehensive account of the entire incident from dispatch to completion. This narrative serves as the official record of the event and should include all relevant details about the response.



















Key elements to include:
  1. Initial conditions upon arrival
  2. Actions taken by responding units
  3. Incident progression and timeline
  4. Tactical decisions and outcomes
  5. Patient care provided (if applicable)
  6. Final incident disposition

Using Narrative Editors

Both narrative sections feature rich-text editors with these functions:


Tool

Purpose

Bold/Italic/Underline

Text formatting

Bulleted/Numbered Lists

Organizing information

Indentation Controls

Managing text layout

Undo/Redo

Correcting edits

Insert current time into narrative

The Incident Narrative includes additional features:

  1. Copy from Apparatus Narrative: Import text from unit-level documentation (Incident Narrative only)

  2. Add Time Stamp: Insert current time and user into narrative.

  3. Narrative Logs: View revision history (Incident Narrative only).


Completing Narrative Documentation

  1. Enter detailed, factual information about the incident
  2. Use clear, professional language
  3. Include relevant timestamps for significant events
  4. Review content for accuracy and completeness
  5. Save changes before navigating away from the page

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