Emergency Reporting - Experts & Thought Leaders

Emergency Reporting, a provider of Fire & EMS records management software headquartered in Bellingham, Wash., announces the launch of its podcast, “Fired Up and Plugged in,” available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. The new podcast is intended for current and emerging leaders in fire and emergency services. Insights offered during podcasts The podcast’s producer, Tom Louis, Enterprise Training Manager & Subject Matter Expert at Emergency Reporting, says the episodes will offer insight to help fire and EMS personnel effectively lead their departments in the 21st century. In the first of the six episodes now available for download on podcast-hosting sites, podcast host Randy Bruegman (a retired fire chief whose career in local government spanned 40 years) and Emergency Reporting CEO David Nokes discuss organizational intelligence, strategic planning, and visionary principles applicable to any fire or EMS organization. In subsequent episodes, Chief Bruegman and his guests discuss topics like creating a world-class community risk reduction program and measuring a fire department’s performance from the customer’s perspective. Inspiration behind podcast Louis explained the inspiration behind starting a podcast, “The impetus for a podcast came from David Nokes and Chief Randy Bruegman as they discussed ways Chief B could contribute content as a member of ER’s Customer Advisory Board,” he said. “Chief B was instrumental (vital, actually) in the success of our first virtual summit, ADAPT 2020. His exceptional reputation in the worldwide fire service is now helping us secure top speakers for our podcast.” Making podcast available to all Louis said that launching “Fired Up and Plugged In” is ER’s way of giving back to the fire and EMS community  The initial plan was to release one episode quarterly, but Louis says the energy, collaboration, technology, and commitment of the ER team is enabling them to do at least two per month. The episodes run about 20-30 minutes long and are free to download. “We felt it important that to represent the culture and values of Emergency Reporting, making this podcast available to all in the fire service at no cost was essential as a way for Emergency Reporting to help pay it forward,” Chief Bruegman said. Louis said that launching “Fired Up and Plugged In” is Emergency Reporting’s way of giving back to the fire and EMS community in a fun yet meaningful way. “The podcast adheres to our company pillar of ‘Relationships,” he explained. “Even though data drives the fire service, it’s people in the driver’s seat…the podcast is a way for people to learn from and connect.”

Emergency Reporting, the pioneer in cloud-based reporting and records management software (RMS) for fire, EMS, and other emergency response agencies, has acquired Medusa Medical Technologies. Medusa Medical Technologies provides electronic patient care solutions to emergency response and EMS agencies around the world. The company operates from its headquarters in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, with an additional office in the United Kingdom. Empowering first responders Medusa Medical Technologies’ high-performing EMS software solutions, such as Siren Field User and Siren Web Administration, will complement Emergency Reporting’s ecosystem of solutions built to empower first responders around the world with the tools and data they need to keep themselves and their communities safe. “The acquisition of Medusa Medical Technologies will allow us to further expand our global reach, and positions Emergency Reporting as a leader in first response software worldwide,” said Emergency Reporting CEO, David Nokes. “Medusa Medical Technologies patient care reporting and the ER Records Management ecosystem will unite in a shared vision for reduced complexity, increased flexibility, and a greater degree of data-driven, organizational intelligence for both fire and EMS customers globally.” Medusa Medical Technologies has over 18 years of ePCR experience working with ambulance services, as well as mobile healthcare clinicians who need to capture patient care information on the go. Real-Time alerting The Siren Suite of solutions that Medusa offers includes rapid data entry capabilities The Siren Suite of solutions that Medusa Medical Technologies offers includes rapid data entry capabilities, real-time alerting, robust workflow tools, and powerful analytics that help improve processes and optimize organizational performance. Products in the Siren ePCR Suite include siren field user, siren workflow, siren data analytics, siren notification board, and siren field editor. Their suite serves many customer segments, including British Columbia (Canada) EHS, Alberta (Canada) Health Services, East of England (UK), East Midlands (UK), Ireland’s Health Service, Nova Scotia (Canada) Emergency Health Services, MEMS (USA) and Mecklenburg County (USA), to name a few. Emergency service agencies “The global effects of COVID-19 have made it even more apparent how vital it is for our global first responder and emergency service agencies to be digital, with the ability to complete their work from anywhere, whether in the field, at the station, or from their homes.” “I’m looking forward to working with Emergency Reporting to leverage a strategy for all of the Siren products, and to continue to improve the ways data is used to increase safety and collaboration in this field,” stated Glen V. Dexter, Chairman & CEO of Medusa Medical Technologies. “We are also going to be looking at how Emergency Reporting’s operational support modules, such as skills and asset management software, can enhance our customer experience in the near future.”

Emergency Reporting, the provider of Fire & EMS records management software headquartered in Bellingham, Washington, launches a new website for its Rover notification and alerting app. Rover, acquired by Emergency Reporting in 2020, is a cloud-based notification and response platform that provides critical two-way communication between dispatchers and first responders. When an incident occurs, Rover’s CAD-to-mobile technology instantly relays the call to responders’ mobile devices, shaving seconds off their reply. Records management system Responders can send their availability with a single touch through the Rover app, which automatically retrieves their credentials, location, and travel time. Once responders have confirmed their acceptance, Rover provides everyone who has secure access to the Rover portal (via station dashboard, laptop, in-vehicle tablets, or cell phone) with the precise location of each responder and a countdown to their arrival. The Rover platform also integrates with Emergency Reporting’s records management system (RMS) The Rover platform also integrates with Emergency Reporting’s records management system (RMS). The new Rover website features a ‘who we serve’ section, which gives an overview of what Rover offers to its customers (currently located across the United States, Canada, and Australia), and breaks down its benefits for specific sectors of the emergency services industry – including the fire service, EMS, search & rescue, and industry/HAZMAT. The ‘about us’ section details Rover’s history and its integration with the Emergency Reporting system. Live webinar demonstration “The new website is an excellent resource for those interested in learning more about our Rover alerting software, and also serves as an easy-to-use customer support and sign-in site for our existing Rover customers,” said David Nokes, CEO of Emergency Reporting. “Rover is currently being used by more than 43,000 first responders around the world, and with the launch of this site, we aim to grow our online presence and get Rover into the hands of even more first responders.” Also included on the website is a blog featuring company and industry-related content and a case studies page highlighting existing customers’ experiences with Rover (including a fire department, EMS agency, and an animal rescue team). Those who want an in-depth look at the Rover platform can visit the site’s demo webinars page to sign up for an hour-long live webinar demonstration.

The power of data provides numerous benefits to the fire service, and today’s data collection and analysis software tools are making data more valuable than ever. Data collection and records management have been a core requirement in the U.S. fire service since the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974 established a necessity for state and local governments to develop fire reporting and analysis capabilities. The National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) requirements cover incident and casualty reporting, and later versions of the NFIRS format (NFPA Standard 901) have expanded the collection of data beyond fires to include a full range of fire department activity on a national scale. All 50 states and the District of Columbia report NFIRS data, which together represent the world’s largest national, annual database of fire incident information. Benefit The Operation Of Fire Department Effective collection and analysis of data can help fire departments document their performance to various stakeholdersAnd the benefits of data collection at today’s fire departments also extend beyond the ability to meet NFIRS requirements. Collecting and analyzing data from department training records, building and inspection information, document management, and apparatus and equipment maintenance and tracking, among other categories, are additional aspects of data collection that can benefit the operation of a fire department. A variety of commercial data collection software products help to streamline data management in today’s fire service, including suppliers such as Firehouse by ESO, ImageTrend, ZOLL and Emergency Reporting. In particular, effective collection and analysis of data can help fire departments document their performance to various stakeholders, make a stronger case when applying for grants and/or additional funding, and understand strategically how their department can improve. Demonstrating Fire Department’s Effectiveness “Data is driving the fire service, but humans are in the driver’s seat,” says Tom Louis, Business Development Analyst for Emergency Reporting. “Humans must extract data, compile it and communicate it in an effective manner to demonstrate a department’s effectiveness in serving the community.” Collecting data such as daily logs, incidents, maintenance and safety analytics can enable a fire department to tell its story more effectively using numbers More sophisticated management of incident reporting and other data can support departmental requests for grant money and other funding. “Most departments are looking for sources of funding, and they know the firefighter grants are out there, so they need to up their game,” says Louis. “Data collection can bring value locally to meet a department’s need to demonstrate its effectiveness to the community.” “In the fire service, decisions cannot be made on emotion alone, and people are grateful for [data management systems] we provide,” he adds. “Taxpayers require a level of transparency in order to hold those managing the services of a community accountable, to justify and verify the essential reason for their existence.” Promoting Firefighters’ Health And Safety Capturing data points can also serve as a means to analyze the situation and prevent injuries from happening Another benefit of data collection is to promote the safety of firefighters. For example, data collection can enable a department to track firefighters’ exposure to carcinogens, hazardous materials, blood-borne pathogens, and/or “atypically stressful events.” If there is an injury or illness, data documentation can help to demonstrate a firefighter’s qualification for injury benefits or medical care, document any personal protective equipment (PPE) failures, etc. Capturing data points can also serve as a means to analyze the situation and prevent injuries from happening. Louis says records management systems can provide a return on investment (ROI) within a year or less based on the ability to identify areas in a department that need improvement. Better data guides more efficient deployment of manpower and application of resources. Data can also document compliance with national standards to achieve accreditation with the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE), for example. Considering the high cost of equipment and other fire service expenses, the cost of good data management software is “small potatoes,” says Louis, especially considering the benefits. Cloud-Based Data Collection System Emergency Reporting provides a 100% cloud-based system to collect and report fire service data, and annual subscription costs vary depending on which modules are purchased and on the size of a department (number of fire stations). A starter NFIRS-only package starts at under $1,000 a year. Other software companies provide a range of products including both cloud and/or systems installed on-premise. Simplicity of use is one point of differentiation among various products. Data reporting software from companies such as Emergency Reporting is a powerful management tool in the fire service Before the advent and growing popularity of specialized data reporting software systems, fire departments typically used laborious ‘pen and paper’ reporting techniques, or they used ‘home-grown’ computer systems designed using Microsoft Excel spreadsheets and/or Access databases, for example. The next wave of data management systems is providing more robust business intelligence services, including real-time data in the form of dashboards that enable insight into the state of a department at a glance. Application software protocols (APIs) are enabling integration of data systems with scheduling software, response software and other solutions. Data For Fleet Management Systems If you make data easy to use, then decision-makers can extract data that is trustworthy and easily understood"In the age of the Internet of Things (IoT), there will be more integration with devices such as heart monitors or apparatus systems that can provide data for fleet management and maintenance systems. “The data environment will get denser, and the ability to sift through it and pull out useful information will be more of a challenge,” comments Louis. “Beyond compliance, probably the biggest benefit of better data collection is the ability to extract data out of the system to make intelligent, actional decisions,” says Louis. “If you make data easy to use, then decision-makers can extract data that is trustworthy and easily understood.” “It allows you to take an introspective look into the performance of your department, using data that measures what you do day-to-day, incident-to-incident,” he adds. “Measure it and you can tell your story of what you’re contributing to your community.”