
(Investigators open criminal probe into LA explosion – AP Photo – Mark J. Terrill)
With growing communities, Fire Departments are being pressured more than ever to maintain high levels of service, yet achieving this with no additional funding — a static budget.
In today’s advanced technology of “Google everything” and mobility, everyone is fully aware that a fire emergency response is a costly investment for any community and Fire Departments must be equally prepared to justify and ensure public support. With growing communities, Fire Departments are being pressured more than ever to maintain high levels of service, yet achieving this with no additional funding — a static budget.
So what are some Fire Department’s doing about it? Well, across the country, many are turning to smarter ways to improve their response, and making every truck roll count. By modernizing and using smart mobile technology capabilities to collect and use data during emergencies, departments are now more than ever ensuring public trust, by preplanning and reducing risk, costs, while minimizing injuries to their firefighters. With smart community data, departments are maximizing the benefits of having up to date knowledge and planning capabilities instantly available on smart devices.
“With (smart technology), our emergency crews now have instant access to hydrants, emergency shut-offs, protection equipment, maps, and more. Pre-incident planning carries many benefits for Emergency Responders and their community… This planning ahead can aid in reducing a community’s insurance rating, assist firefighters in reducing risk and ultimately save lives.” – Central York Fire

By leveraging smart technology and valuable data, you will be able to ensure more effective responses by being better prepared to protect your community.
In todays’ world, the risk of fire fighting has just gotten a lot higher and let’s not forget that the City of Oakland just settled a $32 million fire lawsuit for the “Ghost Ship” fire in 2020. This is a clear reminder that being proactive and modernizing within your community is the only way to go to protect, and avoid deadly fires with extraordinary costs.
About the author: Paul Martin is the founder of www.apxdata.com – first to introduce smart mobile capabilities to Fire Departments meeting ISO, NFPA, FUS & State requirements.