By: Assistant Chief Michael Fronimos
Wytheville Fire & Rescue Department
Traditionally, fire departments have accessed their pre-incident plans by thumbing through a binder full of paper plans, or sorting through a digital file folder full of plan names. As expected, that takes time away from the safe operation of the incident at hand and reduces the effective nature of the information.
In order to severely reduce the time-factor in both creating and accessing their pre-incident plans, Orland Fire Protection District elected to sign with FlowMSP.
The role of the dispatch center comes into play after FlowMSP Implementation specialists coordinate and link up a dispatch center’s CAD platform and the FlowMSP dispatch feature. With this feature in place, Orland firefighters receive CAD dispatch notifications directly through the FlowMSP mobile app.
Tapping the notification instantly accesses the preplan associated with that location, the nearest hydrants, initial imagery and offers the ability to access turn-by-turn navigation from the current location to the scene.
Recognizing the enormous value this offers to Orland firefighters, substantial efforts were undertaken to extend the FlowMSP app to every single phone and tablet in the department, and Orland Central Dispatch was a key member of those efforts. Their success demonstrates the lengths they are willing to go to in order to support their firefighters in the field.
With Orland Central Dispatch’s support, and the innovative data collection process of FlowMSP, Orland Fire has dramatically increased their pre-incident plans to over 2,000 plans in the platform; all ready at a moments notice.
“Orland Fire has always been at the forefront of technology, prioritizing resources that keep firefighters safe and enable them to do their job more efficiently. The partnership between Orland Central Dispatch and FlowMSP continues this tradition of excellence by ensuring that pre-plans are delivered directly into the hands of first responders in the critical minutes following dispatch, allowing firefighters to prepare for the dangers they may encounter upon arriving to an incident.”
Jason Marvel, Founder & CEO, FlowMSP, Inc.
