Resources by Role

Casework Workflow:

1. Log into Fireside at https://[MemberFirstLast].emanager.house.gov. Be sure to bookmark this page for easy access.
2. To get started, go to Casework > My Cases.

Casework

1. The My Cases page makes it easy to create or find any of the office’s pending cases using the filters to the right. By default, the page displays your active cases.
   1. To create a new case, use the instant search to look up the constituent in your database. If the constituent isn't in your system, create a new profile. 
   2. On a person’s profile, click the blue “+” button and "Start a case,” or click the “+” button in the left navigation bar and selecting “Start a Case.”
   3. Enter the case description, agency, agency contact, and staffer. Note that users can always update this case information at any time.
   4. The Activity Inbox displays both new emails from past recipients using the original sender’s Fireside email address and digital Privacy Release Form (PRF) submissions received via the House’s or DotGov’s PRF. You can create new cases from these items or add them to existing cases.
   5. Casework requests are occasionally sent via the contact form. The LC logging inbound mail may log these requests to the “Casework (Routing)” batch found under Mailroom > Batches. Periodically review this batch to determine if any requests should be converted to cases.
2. Navigate to Casework > Form Letters to review and edit your office’s casework form letters, which are used to send emails and physical letters to constituents and agencies. 
   1. To create a new form letter, click on the blue “+” button in the top-right corner and start editing the letter from the “Edit” tab.
   2. To edit an existing form letter, simply click on the form letter’s name to open it. Once you are viewing the letter from the “Edit” tab, click the body test and start typing!
   3. To help streamline letter editing, you can use casework merge fields to automatically fill in values like constituent name or address info.
3. Form Letters are the starting point for all outbound responses to constituents. Navigate to Mailroom > Form Letters to access your office’s mailroom form letters.
   1. To create a new form letter, click on the blue “+” button in the top-right corner and start editing the letter from the “Edit” tab.
   2. To edit an existing form letter, simply click on the form letter’s name to open it. Once you are viewing the letter from the “Edit” tab, click the body test and start typing! 
4. If you need to add an agency or agency contact, go to Casework > Agencies.
   1. To add an agency, click on the blue “+” button. Enter the name of the agency and click "Save." Click the snowman icon to edit the name. 
   2. Add a contact for that agency by clicking the white “+” button to the right of the new agency.
      1. If the contact has a profile in the system, search for the person and click the “add” button to add them as a new agency contact.
      2. If the person does not have a profile, click the blue “+” button in the top-right corner of the search to create a new profile.
   3. To delete an unnecessary agency, select the agency in the agencies box on the left. Then, in the Agency Contacts box on the right, click the snowman icon next to the agency’s name and choose "Delete Agency." Note: Be sure to migrate any agency contacts to a different agency before deleting the agency.
   4. You can import a list of new agency contacts by hitting the “+” in the left navigation menu and selecting “Import People.”
5. To send emails from cases, follow these steps:
   1. You can send and receive emails directly from the case page using any approved form letter and your preferred email template.
   2. Email drafts will be auto-saved every ~10 seconds, guaranteeing that you will not lose your message should you navigate away from the page.
   3. Attachments can be added directly to the case from your computer under the Files tab or by bookmarking a file from an email to the case. Files that are sent or received cannot be deleted from the case.
   4. To set a personal signature block to use instead of an email template, go to My Settings.
      1. My Settings lets you turn off casework replies coming back into Fireside (they will be routed back into your Outlook) by unchecking the “Associate replies to casework emails with a case” box under My Settings.
6. You can add notes to cases and set reminders to take next steps.
7. Change the status of cases or close them out using the upper-right status dropdown.

Reports

1. Navigate to General Reports to view stats and visuals on the mail that your office has received and processed.
   1. The blue question mark in the top-right corner of the screen will give a full description of the report in question.
2. Our advanced reports provide information of a greater depth. To access the page and download the reports, click on the blue “Advanced Reports” button in the Reports menu. 
   1. You can favorite advanced reports (click the star) to save time and group your most frequently used reports together.

Fireside Guide

To learn more in-depth details about using Fireside, check out our comprehensive Fireside Guide. As a caseworker, we recommend you check out the Casework and My Settings sections specifically, but you will find info relevant to your role throughout the Guide.