How to Revolutionize Your Pre-Incident Planning with Mobile Technology

Tuesday, 01 June 2021 12:38

When people think of the job of firefighting, they might have one or more pictures in their minds. Some think of the quintessential rescue of the neighborhood cast stick in a tree.

Others remember demonstrations in school where firefighters taught valuable lessons about how to escape a structural fire and safety tips regarding how to prevent fire.

Still, others remember the time first responders put their lives on the line to save them during the most traumatic moments in their lives. They see the job as never-ending moments of heroically running into the very spaces from which people are trying to escape.

While there is, of course, a lot of emergency action in the job description, much of the daily work can be a bit less exhilarating.

Much of your time is spent doing paperwork and training for future calls. Some of that work seems tedious, but it is part of a hero's work. The tedious tasks also contribute to saving lives.

Still, if there are ways to make some of those things more efficient, you should take advantage of them.

Mobile pre-planning software may be the solution your department’s needs.

Five Ways Mobile Technology Improves Pre-Incident Planning

Here are five ways the right mobile technology will improve your pre-planning.

1) The Right Mobile Technology Helps You Get the Right Data

Incident pre-plan data is crucial for determining how your department will safely respond to emergencies. The right mobile software will have you collect the details you need to make the right decisions when you respond to a call. Your mobile software should help you collect:

Information about the construction type and roofing material
Details about the fire alarms and the fire suppression system
Any and all potentially harmful materials present
Locations of fire hydrants and other water sources
Occupancy numbers for weekdays, nights, and on weekends
Barriers to entry, such as fences or gates
Location and type of utility shutoffs
Details about FDCs, key boxes, floor plans, etc.

This information is key for protecting firefighters and helping people during emergencies.

2) The Right Mobile Technology Complies with NFPA 1620

Over years of studying fires, disasters, and firefighter deaths, the need for effective pre-planning became apparent. The National Fire Protection Association responded by developing a national peer-reviewed standard known as NFPA 1620: Standard for Pre-Incident Planning.

In addition to spelling out the various pieces of information that need to be included, the standard also states, “To develop a pre-incident plan, the developers shall visit the property to become familiar with its layout, contents, construction, and protection features.” But won’t that kind of visit take hours to complete?

Our pre-plan wizard guides you through all of the critical details specified by the NFPA standard and allows you to submit photos instantly.

It is the perfect solution for gathering the right information as quickly and efficiently as possible.

3) The Right Mobile Technology Improves Efficiency

Imagine what you can do with the time saved by software that helps you collect detailed data faster. Our pre-plan wizard automatically ensures all new plans are immediately linked to all agency devices, including mutual aid partners using StreetWise®.

If network connectivity is unavailable, pre-planned data can be cached to the tablet for offline access.

If you are still using paper or laptops, you can just think how much time this wizard can save you and your firefighters. This time can be repurposed for training and improving your emergency response.

4) The Right Mobile Technology Raises Situational Awareness

Firefighters and first responders know that situational awareness is key to an effective and safe response to every call. With the information you gather from your pre-planning wizard, each engine and firefighter will have access to everything you need to know.

From hydrants to street access to building occupancy, the pre-plan wizard gives the people on your team the information they need to significantly improve situational awareness.

5) The Right Mobile Technology Saves Lives

With the right data in hand and increased situational awareness, the right mobile technology saves lives. Not only does that information save the lives of the people you are rescuing, but it will help protect your first responders from injury.

When it comes down to it, you know you want the best for your personnel. The right pre-planning software will go a long way toward ensuring safety for your firefighters.

If you are ready to help improve the way your department responds to calls by collecting detailed pre-incident planning data more efficiently, you need to learn more about our suite of software. StreetWise® has a primary mission to provide public safety information services.

For more than 35 years, our President/CEO has worked in the field of fire and emergency services. StreetWise® is an elite collection of progressive, like-minded investors, managers, technical developers, and advisors.

StreetWise® is a full-featured software suite built exclusively for Fire & EMS. It includes a pre-plan wizard that guides you through all of the critical details specified by the NFPA standard and allows you to submit photos instantly.

Contact our team to find out more about how StreetWise® mobile software can improve your pre-planning.

More in this category: « How Does Technology Affect Incident Command Strategy? Why Fire Apparatus Mobile Software is a Matter of Life and Death »