Why Is a Firefighter Accountability System Crucial for Any Fire Department?
In recent years, many fire departments have made an effort to optimize and modernize their operations, adopting new technologies and practices that make firefighters safer and incident responses more effective.
At the heart of these efforts are firefighter accountability systems. A firefighter accountability system facilitates the real-time knowledge of the locations and functions of all firefighting personnel operating on the incident scene.
But why does having personnel accountability software matter?
A Lack of Accountability Creates Additional Risk
Firefighting is a dangerous job that comes with significant unavoidable risks. In 2019, there were tens of thousands of response-related injuries reported. More concerning, there were 62 firefighter line of duty deaths (LODD) nationwide.
Risk will always be a reality when emergency responders enter hazardous environments in order to save lives and protect property. But time and again, the National Institute of Health and Safety (NIOSH) incident reports have found that a lack of personnel accountability and a breakdown of the situational awareness of the incident commander were significant contributing factors to preventable deaths.
Those all-too-common information gaps were exactly why firefighter accountability systems were developed in the first place.
How Do Accountability Systems Help?
Although not every LODD is preventable, some are. And an effective accountability system could be what makes the difference:
#1 Improved Visibility
Fire departments are often spread thin across multiple incident responses.
To deploy its resources properly, incident commanders need to know which personnel and equipment are currently assigned and which are available for assignment. For those that are in the field, incident commanders need to know exactly where the resources are engaged.
A firefighter accountability system provides just that, offering a real-time view of an entire department. Armed with that visibility, firefighting teams can optimize personnel and resource deployment, thus preventing confusion, duplication, or an inadequate response.
#2 Accurate Information Readily Available
For any emergency incident, the situation on the ground can change in the blink of an eye. Structural collapse, flashover, or backdraft are just some of the critical events that can transform an incident instantaneously.
Incident commanders need accurate and up-to-date information to make the best possible decisions. Here, personnel accountability software provides a wealth of real-time data regarding:
- Pre-incident preparedness
- Response phase
- Incident mitigation
#3 Available to All
Truly effective firefighter accountability requires real-time common operating picture between incident command and the boots on the ground. For everyone to be on the same page, all personnel need shared access to the accountability tools and data. The most effective firefighter accountability systems are cloud-based—thus ensuring that they are viewable by all operating personnel—and viewable on any platform, be it a PC, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
IMT—Your Firefighter Accountability Partner
A fire department must take advantage of all tools available to protect its personnel and accomplish its mission. Increasingly, forward-thinking fire departments are utilizing software based firefighter accountability systems to do just that.
At IMT, we believe that every emergency response requires an immediate, adequate, and effective response. Our incident management systems were designed to provide you with accurate end-to-end accountability, providing critical real-time data and control no matter how an emergency incident develops.
See how you could optimize your emergency response with top-of-the-line fire department software. Schedule a demo today.
Sources
USFA. Annual report on firefighter fatalities in the United States. https://www.usfa.fema.gov/data/statistics/ff_fatality_reports.html