View a Video of the Risks Module  (Revised 5/18/2009)


 Risk Analysis is a vital part of any Standard of Cover (SOC) or fire department accreditation study. Now Risk Analysis is also an integrated part of NFIRS 5 Alive.

Import and merge ISO spreadsheets, RMS Occupancy data or even community tax data. NFIRS 5 Alive automatically assembles incident history and response time performance for each risk location.

Export risk data to field units and import their inspection results. Create a list of user-defined risks. Score risks using a system that makes sense for your fire department.

Use NFIRS 5 Alive's GIS module to put your risks on the map. Like Incidents and Apparatus responses, risks may be viewed in a GIS browser. For example, view risks by the number of floors to help position truck companies. View risk distribution throughout a community or zoom-in on a specific neighborhood to view risks at roof-top level. Create maps illustrating distribution of risks by risk type or risk score. You can even view risks by the number and types of incidents in their incident history.

All Risk import and export formats are stored for reuse. You can even store pictures with each risk record. Risk Analysis is part of the process and it's an important part of NFIRS 5 Alive.

 

Leadership is not an event, it's a continuous process. It's a necessity when times are good, but it's a matter of survival when budget constraints threaten to shake the foundations of your organization.

Tough times call for tough decisions. Your decisions have to be fast. They have to be accurate. And most importantly you have to be able to explain, illustrate and defend your position. You need facts on your side and you need to be able to present those facts whenever required.

In recent years best practices have driven the development of a process for continuously enhancing fire service performance. Here's a rough outline of the process. The NFIRS 5 Alive application and twice monthly live web training opportunities support those parts of the process underlined below:

   Performance Enhancement Process 

   1. Review & document agency’s legal authority
   2. Perform a resource inventory
      a. Personnel (training, age, rank, line, staff, skills, turnover)
      b. Fixed facility (location, age, operating expenses, adequacy of space)
      c. Apparatus & Fleet (type, age, operating expenses, replacement cycle)
      d. Equipment & Supplies
   3. Review and document aid agreements
      a. Activation
      b. Resources
      c. Commitments
   4. Inventory reliable data sources (NFIRS 5, CAD data, risk inventories)
   5. Review data source quality and improve (RMS, CAD, risk inventories)
      a. Document steps in call handling process
      b. Check for common NFIRS 5 data entry errors
      c. Validate CAD timestamps (observe, typed or auto stamped)
      d. Identify desirable data elements that may be missing
   6. Locate and define community risks (building info, risk type, risk score)
   7. Identify Metro, Urban, Suburban, Rural & Wilderness areas, as appropriate
   8. Analyze and document demand for service (quantity, when, where, type)
   9. Breakdown loss history (Fire losses by time, location, etc)
   10. Measure distribution and set 1st apparatus arrival goals
      a. Call to First Arrival
      b. Call Processing
      c. Turnout
      d. Travel
      e. Simultaneous analysis
      f. Reliability
      g. Measure & document aid activity / balance
      h. Measure & document inter-station response activity
   11. Measure concentration and set goals for multi-company arrivals
      a. 2nd apparatus arrival analysis
      b. Analyze progressive engine / ladder arrivals
      c. Analyze Arrival of Effective Response Force
   12. Review opportunities for improvement
   13. Plan operational changes
   14. Review plans against Steps 1,2 & 3 above
   15. Revise (as necessary) and implement plans
   16. Return to Step 4 above
 

Simply put NFIRS 5 Alive helps you enhance performance. And when times get tough it's also there to help you defend your budget.

See a sample of graphs and animated graphs at the link below:

  Graph Gallery - Demand, Fire Loss, Distribution, Concentration (Revised 5/18/2009)

  Live Dashboard - Featuring many of the measurements above (Revised 6/10/2009)