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Michigan Firefighter on the Cutting Edge with New Technology |
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(Who says you can't build a better mousetrap?) Personnel accountability is one of the most important tasks an Incident Commander will face at the scene of an emergency. The most widely used practice is either writing a firefighter's name on a dry-erase board or collecting a name tag and placing it on a ring. In either case, reliability is questionable. The dry-erase board is easily altered, either by accidentally touching it, bumping it, or perhaps by water smearing the print into illegible marks. The name tags do not track a firefighter's location or time stamp how long he or she has been working on an assignment. A 23 year veteran firefighter from the City of Fraser is putting an end to that. John Ellis has partnered with an information technology company to design accountability software that is compatible with a handheld personal computer. - Using the pocket PC eliminates the task of listing names by hand using markers, grease or pencils.
- A point-and-click system provides a detailed, chronological report for the entire incident, eliminating the dependency of paper.
- There is a built-in safety feature that time stamps the length of time each firefighter is on assignment.
- Post-incident use of the data can aid the department in identifying training issues and needs.
The software and its accompanying handheld PC is designed for use by firefighters in small, medium, and large departments.
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