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NFIRS Support and Guides

How-to Videos & NFA Training Courses

Here, you can find several short topic specific videos to assist you in submitting your NFIRS reports as well as links to National Fire Academy NFIRS courses: https://www.usfa.fema.gov/nfirs/training/

NFIRSGrams

NFIRSGrams provide coding help to fire department personnel using the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS).

These short bulletins address frequently asked questions and common mistakes made when completing incident reports.

Coding Questions Guide

The Coding Questions Guide PDF contains instructions on how to code NFIRS 15.0 incident reports in a question-and-answer format.

NFIRS Cheat Sheet

This quick reference guide is great for posting next to your computer to assist you in coding incident reports as well as answers to a few of the most commonly asked questions:

FAQs

1. Which incidents must we report to NFIRS?

In Illinois, all incidents including medical runs must be submitted to NFIRS.

2. When must reports be submitted?

Reports are due by the 15th of the following month.

3. What if we do not have any reports for an entire month?

If a department does not respond to any incidents in a given month, they must submit a No-Activity Report. To do so, follow the procedure below:

  1. After logging into NFIRS, select "Create Incident"
  2. Check the "No Activity" box
  3. Enter "0000000" as the incident number
  4. Enter the last date of the month
  5. Click the blue "Save" button and you're done

4. What information should be submitted to NFIRS for medical emergency incidents?

To comply with HIPAA laws, only a Basic Module (and optional Personnel/Apparatus Modules) should be submitted but must not contain any personally identifiable information about the patient or their condition.

5. But what about patients that have been injured by fire?

According to the US Fire Administration, the federal law that established the NFIRS system allows for the importing of personally identifiable information of fire casualties.

6. I'm locked out. Can you reset my password?

Password resets are now handled by you, the local user. Neither OSFM nor FEMA have the ability to provide you with a new password. To receive a new password, go to the sign-on page and click "Forgot Password". A temporary password with be sent to the email address assigned to the username. The temporary password you receive will expire in five days. If you need to have the email address assigned to you username, please contact us.

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