New software aims to replace command boards

By Jamie Thompson
FireRescue1 Editor

Photo Jamie Thompson Winkelman demonstrates features of the Rhodium FIRE Command.

DALLAS — A new product that aims to increase firefighter safety and accountability at emergency scenes debuted at Fire-Rescue International.

Incident Response Technologies, which specializes in producing software solutions for public safety agencies, unveiled its Rhodium FIRE Command at the conference in Dallas, billing it as a digital replacement to conventional command boards.

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The new software enables the tracking of both personnel and apparatus, as well as allowing command to record data on the location and nature of the incident as well as the time that notable events took place.

"This allows departments to manage who is available on scene, both personnel and apparatus," said Jarret Winkelman, regional director of sales and marketing.

"It can offer status checks to ensure everyone is still accounted for throughout the incident as it develops."

The incident map displays the location of active task assignments, with icons able to be easily repositioned to accurately display task locations.

Because the software is maintained on the company's servers, Winkelman said, there is no requirement for agencies using it to have an IT department, nor is any special hardware required.

"Internet access is never required in the field," Winkelman said. "While periodic Internet access is necessary to syncronize archives, Internet is not required during incidents."

Incident archives are stored on a secure Web-database, he added, which can be accessed from any Internet connection.

"It's something that is suited to both volunteer and career, and whether it's a one-station department with 10 members or a department with over 100 members," Winkelman said.