The Commission on Fire Accreditation International, Inc. (CFAI, Inc.) and Emergency Reporting (Reporting Systems, Inc.) have joined forces to develop an innovative risk assessment and resource deployment software tool for fire and emergency service agencies.
VISION is a web-based tool that will enable fire and emergency service agencies to thoroughly analyze and categorize the risks found within their community and will provide comparative data to other departments of similar size. Consequently, users of this integrated software tool will be able to make informed decisions on community risk and resource deployment. This valuable software is expected to be released this fall.
VISION is expected to satisfy a critical need of the fire and emergency services. This software will enable fire and emergency service agencies to accurately plan and prepare for risk scenarios within their community and to develop deployment strategies to maximize their use of resources. VISION will also assist agencies in the complex process of developing an informed and credible standard of response coverage for their community, a key component to the CFAI's accreditation process and a critical asset to any department.
VISION will allow fire and emergency service agencies to collect data online, making it accessible from any computer with an internet connection and eliminating the need for numerous and costly software licenses and expensive network capability. It will allow the user to import existing data from third party applications, eliminating data redundancy, and will serve as a central database of critical benchmarking information for fire and emergency service agencies nationwide. The software will allow agencies to update and exchange community data with ISO. The vital statistics compiled by VISION will be made available to participating organizations and will provide a means to develop a comprehensive community risk hazard analysis, access comparative data, and will incorporate this information into a GIS-based integrated risk/deployment model.
Emergency Reporting has extensive experience in developing innovative data collection and reporting systems for fire and EMS communities. CFAI President, Randy R. Bruegman states, "Fire chiefs and city managers have been challenged to develop comprehensive data in which to effectively analyze risk and deployment from a local perspective. VISION brings together the experience gained from over a decade of research from the accreditation process, integrated with a state-of-the-art software package to provide local leadership with a powerful analytical tool to assess current performance and to assist in the design of a fire service strategic plan."
Emergency Reporting was the first software firm to integrate national fire (NFIRS 5.0) and EMS data (NHTSA 2.1) into one fully integrated and user-friendly records management system used today by fire and EMS departments nationwide. Today they specialize in the development and maintenance of web-based fire and EMS records management systems and custom applications for fire departments, EMS agencies and municipalities.
The Commission on Fire Accreditation International, Inc. (CFAI) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation with a mission to promote excellence within the fire service through continuous quality improvement. This mission is achieved through a variety of mediums including two distinct programs offering agency accreditation and chief fire officer designation, as well as other projects that will enhance training, quality, and information available to fire and emergency service agencies and personnel. To date, there are 98 fire and emergency service agencies accredited worldwide, and 459 individuals holding the renowned Chief Fire Officer (CFO) designation.
For more information on the VISION integrated community risk and deployment software, please contact CFAI at (866) 866-CFAI or cfai@cfainet.org, or visit CFAI on the web at www.cfainet.org.
