With the rapid conversion from clunky old ordinary cell phones to the so-called smart phones (iPhone, Droid, etc.), there have been literally tens of thousands of downloadable accessories called “Apps” created to enhance the phones’ usefulness. On a few occasions we have talked about apps that were specifically created to assist firefighters and EMT’s such as the one that makes a metronome-sounding cadence to help maintain a good compression rate during CPR. Of course, there are some useless ones like the “pump pressure calculator” for determining pressures for hose lines. I call that one useless because if somebody isn’t capable of quickly calculating pump pressures in their head, then they don’t have any business operating the pump in the first place.
But the App development field for fire/rescue departments has just taken on different use entirely. The San RamonValley Fire Protection District in California’s East Bay area is showing some genuine resourcefulness and progressive thinking by creating their own App that the citizens in their district will be able to download for free when it’s made available in a few months.
This new service for the taxpayers/citizens is a digital super-scanner. According to the F.P.D.’s website:
iPhone users can look forward to the FireDepartment.org iPhone application that will provide a virtual window into the San Ramon Valley Fire’s 9-1-1 dispatch center. This application will allow users to have real-time access to emergency activities occurring in their community.
Users will be able to view active incidents, including the response status of emergency vehicles being dispatched to the call. The application will even have an interactive map that will pinpoint where the incidents are located.
This application will allow users to choose to be notified of incidents as they are dispatched. Then they will have the option to listen in on the live emergency radio traffic on what will now be the modern version of a traditional fire scanner. Users can also select the type of notification they receive on their iPhone, for example, they can select to get only structure fire notifications or vehicle accident information.
“The Fire District will use our new iPhone application to communicate with residents and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) members during a disaster,” said Fire Chief Richard Price. “We are dedicated to keeping our community informed and I am very excited about adding this new tool to the many ways we are communicating with our residents.”
This initial App is being created for the iPhone, but it will soon be adopted for the Droids and other smartphones. The fire district utilized a computer training class in Northern Kentucky University who developed the App for free as a part of their training. No doubt after being used in the field for a while there will be some refinements and additional features added to it. But what I like most is the forward-thinking of the FD’s top staff and their aggressive action in keeping up with the rapid advances in communications.
How many fire departments today are still posting those dull and uninformative press releases on their static websites, or leaving a 30-second recording on a P.I.O. telephone line? Almost all of them. Is there any wonder why nobody logs on or dials in to those outdated devices?
Well, outdated or no…we still have to get this equipment checked out. So get started on that while I go fix some more coffee. See you back in the day room in a little while.
Also on FireGeezer…
- Morning Lineup – April 14 – April 14, 2012
- Morning Lineup – January 31 – January 31, 2011
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