When Tamarac Fire Rescue decided it was time to revamp its obsolete communication system, the department researched several communication platforms before choosing First Arriving to be the all-in-one solution to its problems.
Before it implemented First Arriving dashboards, the department had an email system that was “extremely archaic,” according to Division Chief Jonathan Frasher. “We were looking for one place to put all our communication and response times,” he said. “We looked at several platforms and decided on First Arriving.”
Tamarac Fire Rescue is an ISO Class 1 department with 115 career personnel working a three-shift schedule out of four firehouses and one administration building. It now has six dashboards in service. The integrations the department selected include TeleStaff, weather, Facebook, Twitter, Google Slides, and Google Sheets.
“We now have key metrics, data, and details in one place,” Frasher said. “There are no missed emails, ignored messages, and information overload.”
The department also uses the dashboard platform to show vital information such as hydrants out of service, fleet status, and StatsFD, a performance data reporting program.
They also post events, training information, turnout times for stations, shifts, and apparatus with an end-of-shift display on the dashboards, Frasher said. He added that they are posting Operations meeting minutes, hospital availability and CDC updates.
Reactions by Tamarac Fire Rescue personnel to the First Arriving dashboards have been positive. The improved communication with the dashboards is part of the department’s strategic plan “to help get the word out from us (administrators) to the crews,” Frasher said. Important training and operations information, are constantly on display before the crews on duty through the First Arriving digital dashboard platform.
