Visual Fire Data Management Saves Lives

Visual Fire Data Management Saves Lives

Saturday, 24 April 2021 23:53

Firefighters are heroes. There is no doubt about that. It takes a truly special person to run into a place from which other people are trying to escape. Nevertheless, firefighters are the first to put their lives on the line for the chance to rescue people from dire circumstances. If you have signed up to become a firefighter, whether vocationally or as a volunteer, you know that risking your health and safety are part of the landscape. Still, you do not have to run into an emergency blindly. You should have access to a significant amount of data before you ever respond to a call. However, without the right software and technology, you may not be getting the most out of your data. 

 

Here is what your firehouse needs to know about visual fire data management and how it helps raise situational awareness for everyone involved. 

Your Software Should Be Consistent with the NFPA 1620

The NFPA 1620 provides a comprehensive set of standards for fire incident pre-planning. According to those standards, your plan must involve on-site, pre-incident surveys that include at a minimum:

  • The roofing and other materials used in the construction of a building 
  • Assessment of a building's fire alarms and suppression systems
  • As many pictures as possible of items such as the FDC, key box, floor plans, etc. 
  • The locations of all utility shutoffs
  • Fire hydrants and water supplies
  • The potential for any hazardous materials on-site
  • When people are present in a building

If your software is not consistent with NFPA standards, you need to research other options. Otherwise, you may not have the data you really need

Your Software Should Include Excellent PrePlan Tools

StreetWise®'s software includes a "Preplan Wizard" modeled directly after NFPA 1620 Standards. When you go to the site to conduct a survey, your StreetWise® tablet will take you step-by-step through inputting the information you need. It allows you to add photos instantly and instantly syncs to all agency devices, including StreetWise-equipped mutual aid partners.

With your incident pre-plan automatically stored in the cloud and instantly accessible on your devices, your entire team's situational awareness will automatically improve. 

Your Software Should Put the Data at Your Firefighters' Fingertips

Long gone are the days when firefighters relied on hard copies of data to get the information you need to respond to a call. Three-ring binders full of old coffee-stained paper preplans are a thing of the past. Your people should have the data they need available at their fingertips. However, laptops are clunky, slow, and not especially portable. Furthermore, many systems were created for law enforcement. That means it might send your engines down narrow streets or not take full account of hydrants and water sources.

Our software is designed specifically for firefighters and paramedics. StreetWise allows you to seamlessly share AVL, hydrant locations, preplans, and more with your entire department as well as your mutual and auto-aid partners. It puts all responding units on the same team. It is easy to navigate, so your responders are not searching for the information you gathered during preplan surveys. 

Your Software Should Include NFIRS Integration

How can fire data management software help after an emergency has concluded? What if it could fill out your NFIRS report for you? There is good news; it can. Our live interface with the Emergency Reporting® feature will automatically create your NFIRS report with location, dispatch time, and call type. In fact, it will begin developing your report before your engines are even back to the station. 

With this technology, your reports will be more intricate and thorough than what you could possibly have by inputting the data manually. The information will be accurate, impartial, and not susceptible to human interpretation. That means you can spend less time trying to collect the data, and more time analyzing it and determining how to improve your response. 

Fire data management can and should be collected and stored as easily as possible. Furthermore, it should be as accessible as possible. All of your pre-incident surveys and every piece of data recorded during a call can and should be used to raise situational awareness for your department. With the StreetWise® suite of software, you will have the fire data management you need to give your first responders the information they need right at their fingertips. If you want to know more about our systems, contact StreetWise® today