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This is a template. It is not your department's policy.
Tailboard templates are drafted as generic starting points aligned to national standards. They are nota substitute for your department's own review or for adoption through your Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). For topics carrying significant exposure (use of force, medical scope, civil rights), route through qualified counsel before adoption.
Every placeholder marked [BRACKETED] must be completed before adoption. Every section must be reviewed against your department's staffing, apparatus, water supply, EMS scope, geography, and the specific laws of your state. What applies to a career department in a city may not apply to a volunteer department in a rural jurisdiction, and vice versa.
Standards, regulations, and best practices are updated regularly. Verify the current edition of every standard cited before adopting this document. Once adopted, this document becomes your department's responsibility — not Tailboard's.
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Number
SOP-500
Version
1.0
Last reviewed
2026-01-01
Next review
2027-01-01
Summary
This SOP governs the records [DEPARTMENT NAME] creates, maintains, and retains. Fire department records are legal documents. Minimum retention periods are set by state law; this policy establishes the department's implementation and supports defensibility in litigation and regulatory review.
Definitions
- Record
- Any information created, received, or maintained by the department in the course of business — paper, electronic, or audiovisual.
- Retention Schedule
- The minimum period a record must be kept, established by state law or department policy.
- PHI
- Protected Health Information — patient-care records subject to HIPAA.
Purpose
To ensure [DEPARTMENT NAME] creates, maintains, and retains records consistent with state law, operational needs, and legal defensibility.
Scope
Applies to all records created or received by [DEPARTMENT NAME] — incident reports, personnel files, training records, medical records, apparatus records, financial records, communications, and correspondence.
Required Records and Retention
Minimum retention periods below. If state law requires longer, state law controls.
Incident Records
- Incident report (NFIRS or equivalent): 7 years minimum; permanent for working fires with injury or death.
- Patient care report (ePCR): 7 years for adults; to age 21+5 years for minors.
- Mayday incident reports: permanent.
- LODD / serious injury reports: permanent.
Personnel Records
- Personnel file: duration of employment + 7 years.
- Disciplinary records: duration of employment + 7 years; per CBA if applicable.
- Harassment / discrimination investigation files: duration of employment + 7 years.
- Workers' compensation claims: per state workers' comp rules.
Medical Records
- Occupational exposure records (bloodborne, hazmat): duration of employment + 30 years (OSHA 1910.1020).
- Annual physicals: duration of employment + 30 years.
- PHI from EMS patient care: 7 years or state EMS retention rule.
Training Records
- Individual training records: duration of employment + 3 years.
- Class sign-in sheets: 7 years.
- Certification / recertification records: duration of certification + 3 years.
- Bloodborne training records: 3 years (OSHA 1910.1030).
Apparatus / Equipment Records
- Daily/weekly checks: 3 years.
- Maintenance records: life of apparatus + 5 years.
- Annual pump/ladder tests: life of apparatus.
- SCBA flow test / hydro test: 10 years or life of cylinder.
- PPE inspection and cleaning records: 10 years or life of gear (NFPA 1851).
Communications
- Dispatch recordings / fireground tapes: per state rule, typically 1–3 years.
- Official correspondence: 5 years.
- Email: per records retention schedule — do not rely on auto-delete.
Financial
- Budgets, invoices, purchase orders: 7 years minimum; per state local-government retention.
- Grant records: grant term + 7 years.
Storage
- Electronic records are stored on [DEPARTMENT]-managed systems with authenticated access.
- Paper records are stored in a secure, fire-protected, dry environment.
- Backup copies of critical electronic records are maintained off-site or in the cloud.
- Access is limited to authorized personnel.
PHI and HIPAA
- Patient care records are PHI and subject to HIPAA.
- Access is limited to treating providers, the EMS Officer, QA staff, and records staff on a need-to-know basis.
- Disclosures are logged.
- Members receive annual HIPAA training.
Public Records Requests
- Most [DEPARTMENT] records are public under state public-records law, with exceptions (PHI, personnel, active investigation).
- Requests are logged and responded to within the time required by state law.
- The Chief or designee handles public-records requests.
Destruction
- Records are destroyed only after their retention period has expired and only in accordance with state rules.
- Destruction is documented: what was destroyed, when, by whom, and under what authority.
- Any record subject to a legal hold is retained regardless of schedule.
Legal Holds
On notice of pending or threatened litigation, on subpoena, or on instruction of counsel, all related records are preserved regardless of the retention schedule. A legal hold memo is issued to relevant members, and destruction of covered records is suspended until the hold is lifted.
Responsibilities
Chief / Records Custodian
- Maintain the retention schedule.
- Manage public records requests.
- Implement legal holds.
- Authorize destruction.
All Members
- Create required records accurately and promptly.
- Do not destroy records outside the schedule.
- Route records to the appropriate file / system.
- Respect confidentiality of PHI and personnel records.
Training Requirements
- Annual HIPAA training for members with PHI access.
- Records-handling training at onboarding.
- Officer training on public-records requests and legal holds.
References
- State Retention Schedule[INSERT STATE] local-government records retention schedule
- 29 CFR 1910.1020OSHA — Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records
- 45 CFR Parts 160 & 164HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules
- NFPA 1851Care and Maintenance of Protective Ensembles (records)
- State Public Records Act[INSERT STATE] public records law
Adapt this template
Before this template becomes your department's policy, review the following items and adjust accordingly. Anything else that does not match your operation should be updated as well.
- Substitute state-specific minimum retention periods where state law requires.
- Name the specific software / systems you use (NFIRS, ePCR, HR).
- Identify the records custodian by title.
- Cross-reference Bloodborne Pathogens, Harassment, and EMS SOPs.
Adoption signature
Before adoption checklist
- ☐Replace [DEPARTMENT NAME] throughout the document.
- ☐Complete every [BRACKETED] placeholder.
- ☐Confirm the current edition of every cited standard.
- ☐Check against your state statutes and state fire marshal rules.
- ☐Route for chief review. Topics with significant exposure (use of force, medical scope) also go through qualified counsel.
- ☐Confirm alignment with any mutual-aid agreements.
- ☐Schedule a training plan for the new policy before effective date.
- ☐Announce adoption in writing to all members. Archive the prior version.
- ☐Set the next review date — annually at minimum.