By: Joylyn Ortiz
FlowMSP
Expect big changes at FlowMSP in 2022. In response to customer requests, we are rolling out important updates to our existing app. Additionally, FlowMSP is building new functionality to increase effectiveness for administrators and field personnel.
In January FlowMSP engineers will launch several different features. Here’s what’s new in Q1 2022:
One of the biggest challenges even the most motivated pre-plan program administrators face is executing on their vision. When was each pre-plan last updated? Who was responsible for updating it? Is the pre-plan done? Enter the administrative dashboard.
Guarantee program success and completion.
Fire department administrators need an easy way to assign and track pre-planning tasks. A new administrative dashboard within the FlowMSP app will equip leaders with quick access to user data. As a result, accountability will increase, which will help departments meet their goals.
First, leaders will be able to assign addresses to individuals to pre-plan. Then, they can easily track which activities have been completed and which items are missing from each pre-plan. As individuals complete activities within the FlowMSP app, the activity tracker automatically updates.
These changes in 2022 will equip all customers, especially larger departments, with a way to keep personnel focused on goals. Because leaders will understand and track percentage of completion, they will sustain forward momentum with the pre-planning program.
Another challenge fire departments, especially volunteer departments, face is knowing who is responding to an incident, where they are, and how long it will take them to arrive. In response to customer requests, FlowMSP is expanding its response tools to solve this problem.
See responders’ locations and ETA on the map.
Changes to the FlowMSP app in 2022 will also include a Phase 2 release of the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) feature. Termed “Team on Map,” this new feature will display responders’ physical location on the map in real time. As each responder moves toward the incident location, their ETA will update.
This feature will help volunteer departments with tactical planning. By displaying a real time picture of who is responding, where, and when, the app will help incident commanders make better decisions. The third phase, Apparatus on Map, will roll out later in 2022.
A third problem fire departments face is a lack of accurate, up-to-date water asset data. Some departments struggle to obtain flow rate data from their water departments. Others suffer from poor or slow communication with the water department, especially around out-of-service hydrants.
Get the most up-to-date hydrant information.
In response, changes at FlowMSP in January 2022 include the launch of Flow’s newest product, an app for water departments. What does this mean for the fire service? If your water department uses the Flow water app, you will eventually be able to pull that data into your Flow fire app.
As a result, if the water department marks a hydrant “out of service,” the whole fire department will immediately receive the updated information within the Flow app. Similarly, when the hydrant is repaired and goes back in service, that information updates for everyone.
Plus, when the water department does flow testing and updates the hydrant information in their water app, the fire department will also receive the updated flow rates. This displays within the Flow fire app as NFPA color-coded hydrant icons on the map, equipping you to select the best water source.
All of the changes at FlowMSP in 2022 are driven by our deep desire to build what our customers need. We are in the driver’s seat, but the customer is telling us where to go. As FlowMSP’s front end and back end developers engineer the best technological solutions, we base changes on feedback from firefighters.
Get ready to provide feedback.
Your needs are at the heart of everything we build. As we look toward the changes coming in 2022, we call on our customers to get ready to test the new features and tell us what you think. We will also roll out new training videos and webinars to get everyone familiar with how it all works.
If you want to learn more about how FlowMSP can help your department, request a web demo. A member of our team will be happy to answer your questions and demonstrate how the app works.
