For IA Writers: Definition Of "Firsthand Information" And "Confirmed Info"

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As you may have noticed reading through the IA guidelines, we require firsthand, confirmed information for an Incident Alert. So, what does that meet?

Firsthand Information: You heard it on a scanner, from a friend on scene who you can trust, through text from a friend you can trust

Confirmed Information: CONFIRMATION OF THE INCIDENT BY THE PRIMARY AGENCY*. Example: Chief on scene confirms working fire. FD on scene reporting pin. PD on scene reporting shooting. EMS on scene confirming special circumstance. If this incident comes over a "buff pager", that alone is NOT confirmation of the incident. Responding to a reported working fire, even if confirmed by other agencies, is not a confirmed incident until the PRIMARY AGENCY confirms it as a working incident. You can get this from radio traffic, online feed, maybe a text from a friend, etc.

With that said, PLEASE use only firsthand, confirmed information when posting Incident Alerts! If you don't have all the info, DON'T post! Don't post a blank IA requesting for others to PM you with info. Make sure you only post noteable incidents.

Hope this helps! Our Incident Alert community thanks you! Contact site staff if you need any further assitance or have questions.

Thanks!

Seth G.

Director Of Site Development, EMTBravo

seth@emtbravo.com