In the midst of an emergency, incident commanders are responsible for knowing where responders are on a scene, what they're doing, and their safety status.
In the past, maintaining firefighter accountability was a herculean effort that relied upon manual-based accountability systems and rudimentary tag systems. But such methods are outmoded particularly in light of the capabilities of modern personnel accountability systems.
Here's how incident response software can set you down the path of firefighter accountability.
Why Tags Are Obsolete
To understand the benefits of modern firefighter accountability solutions, it's important to first discuss what they're replacing. Namely, the legacy systems that were tag-based.
With tags, each firefighter was assigned one or two tags that were attached to a central ring that was then brought to incident command. With these, the incident commander could determine who was assigned to which apparatus, what their assignments were, and an approximation of their on-scene location.
This type of system was heavily reliant upon the tags themselves and only worked as intended if they were on hand and functional. Incident response teams regularly ran into common issues, like:
- The tags were useless if they were lost, broken, or missing.
- They could become confusing or problematic for incidents where there is a mutual aid response from other departments or jurisdictions.
There's no doubt that this type of technology was able to provide a modicum of accountability over an incident response, however, such systems pale in comparison to the most current accountability software capabilities.
Benefits of Fire Accountability Software
Personnel Accountability Management Systems (PAMS) are the next step in the evolution of firefighter accountability. This software solution enables response commanders and their teams to actively monitor responders in real-time, creating myriad benefits:
- Pre-incident preparedness – When every second could mean the difference between life and death, it's urgent for firehouses to be capable of rapidly responding to an incident, anywhere, anytime. Real-time awareness of available and deployed staff improves resource deployment and management.
- Increased incident visibility – Total visibility over an entire incident response. With more accurate information about what's going on, who's where, and doing what, response commanders can make better decisions on deployment and mitigation tactics.
- Improving firefighter safety – One of the most commonly cited reasons for LODDs is an ineffective, or absent, firefighter accountability system. With a PAMS, incident response teams can see:
- Which personnel are on scene
- Who's assigned to a specific apparatus
- What tasks they're performing
- Who's where
This knowledge can help ensure that every incident responder is accounted for. Should the situation on the ground suddenly change—as they often do—it becomes easier to evacuate personnel at a moment's notice.
- Departmental accountability – Firefighter accountability goes far beyond the scope of incident response. Such software can be used to create accountability over an entire department, allowing you oversight of all staff on duty.
Incident Management Technology—Improving Your Response Management
Personnel accountability software has created a paradigm shift in response management, drastically improving upon tag-based systems. And this is why IMT's PAMS system should be the newest member of your team.
Armed with cutting-edge technology, incident commanders can lead a more effective response and improve operational safety as they do it.
Want to see this software in action? Schedule a demo today.
Sources:
CDC. Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program.
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/investigations/completedinvestigations/completedinvestigations.html