Effective Incident Reports

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Writing effective incident reports August 2009 Characteristics of a good incident report The following are characteristics of a good report • Well-organised • Complete • Accurate and specific • Concise • Factual • Light on abbreviations • Objective A Good Report Is Well-Organized Poorly organised descriptions of an incident can leave readers feeling lost and confused, so it’s important that reports be well-organised. The best way to organise information is in chronological order. Be detailed and chronological when you write up the incident. This includes: • Time when you were notified/made aware of the incident; • How you learned about the incident; • Identifying each person named in the report (i.e. John, 5th floor). A Good Report Is Complete A well-written report is complete. It covers the who, what, where, when, why, and how. It does not leave unanswered questions. For example, don’t stop with who the victim was and who responded to the call. Include who discovered the incident, who witnessed it, other people whom you notified, and so on, as appropriate. How much detail is appropriate for a given report depends largely on the incident and your program’s policies. A Good Report Is Concise It may seem contradictory to say that a report should be both complete and concise. However, being concise does not mean leaving out important details. Rather, it means using words economically and omitting words that do not add value. Excessive wordiness interferes with readability. Wordy: The engine company that arrived first on scene immediately began operations to search the first floor of the hotel and rescue anyone who might be trapped. Concise: The first-in engine company immediately began search and rescue operations on the first floor of the hotel. A Good Report Is Accurate and Specific Double-check dates, times, names, phone numbers, etc. Proof your report carefully,
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