Halligan, a new software as a service application, offers a comprehensive solution to first
responder equipment check reporting. Ensuring that their equipment is properly monitored and verified to be in good working condition is vital to any first responder organization. This revolutionary software puts first responders first as it was built by emergency responders for emergency responders. This new platform allows responders to quickly and accurately perform apparatus checks from a mobile or desktop application. With Halligan, first responders can perform equipment checks, view apparatus check histories, produce maintenance reports and, importantly, ensure the equipment is consistently in working condition.
In a recent article published by the New York Times called When you Dial 911 and Wall Street Answers , the author sets out to highlight some of the bad practices employed by private sector emergency services companies on their relentless march to turn a profit on what is traditionally a government sponsored function.
Transcare allowed their equipment to slide into an extreme state of disrepair.
“On the day TransCare filed for bankruptcy, more than 30 percent of the company’s
vehicles were out of service”
As a result of the staggering amount of broken equipment, multiple problems arose:
Decline in Patient Care
“We were constantly having problems with the heart monitors,” said Mr. Almodovar, the
former emergency medical technician. “It started getting scary. The last thing we want is
for a patient to die on us because the equipment is failing.” Reliable care goes out the window if the machine that provides you vitals statistics Oxygen
Saturation, Heart Rate and EKG information is on the fritz.
Response Slow Down
With a better understanding of what equipment is available on each apparatus, dispatchers can avoid wasting precious seconds calling on incapable resources. Additional Costs to a ForProfit Company “By early 2015, the company had racked up health department violations for failed ambulance inspections, internal documents show.”
The health violations ambulance companies can receive are very costly. In 2015, Lifefleet LLC received over $235k worth of fines for not investing properly in first responder PPE more on this here: OSHA Regional News Release .
Call to Action
Firefighters and EMTs’ ability to be effective at their job hinges on the assumption that the tools they need when they arrive on scene are in good, working condition. Consequently, it is standard operating procedure in nearly every emergency responding organization across the US to do apparatus and equipment checks on a regular interval daily
or weekly depending on the frequency of calls. The benefits of proper equipment checks are numerous, even for a private ambulance company.
The overseers of the private ambulance companies can avoid costly government fines by
noticing failing equipment and PPE early enough to fix it before government oversight must step in. Dispatchers can make informed decisions on the best resource for a job based on uptodate information on the equipment health of available resources in the area.
One Solution
Halligan’s truck check platform offers a solution to the issues like those in TransCare’s
equipment accountability system. The platform provides reliable histories of every piece of
equipment on every apparatus. Also, members can be notified after each check is completed. This functionality provides leadership assurance that the checks are being done routinely. The platform’s reliability is combined with ease of use through a mobile application, available for download on your smartphone, which allows these checks to be performed digitally. Additionally, the platform will analyze the check data automatically to find recurring problems. Had TransCare been using a system like Halligan, they would have been much more likely to catch the recurring issues with their equipment.
More about Halligan
Halligan was founded in Fall of 2016 by a past volunteer and wildland firefighter turned
computer scientist. While studying at Colgate University, Alex Montgomery learned the skills necessary to build enterprise level software and began his career working as a volunteer firefighter with the Hamilton Fire Department. When it came time to turn his dream into a reality by developing software for firefighters, he asked Alex Krill, his classmate and business partner, Adam Pratt an active firefighter in the HFD and Colgate University student, and Joseph Campbell a financial salesman to join him as founders. The four of us are based in New York, NY and believe that first responders deserve the highest caliber software possible. http://www.halligan.io/