Video - Loading Data into NFIRS 5 Alive  (Revised 5/18/2009)

 Defending a budget takes more than a stack of graphs, charts and maps. Your operation has a story to tell. It's a compelling story of tragedy and a community's response to tragedy. It's a story of success and opportunities for success. It's a real story that directly involves each citizen and decision maker. To be credible it's a story you must tell with facts.

The first day you own NFIRS 5 Alive you will be able to generate literally hundreds of graphs, numeric charts and maps. But unless you identify key facts and assemble those facts into a story you will not be fully using the capabilities of this valuable new resource.

The outline below focuses on a 4-step approach you can use to organize your story:

1. Demand
2. Fire Loss
3. Distribution
4. Concentration

This four step process is derived from the "Performance Enhancement Process" to give you a specific step-by-step guide. The highlighted text directs you to the specific report format used in each step. "Pre-programmed Reports", the "Time Analyzer", the "Staff Analyzer", the "Aid Analyzer" and the "GIS Analyzer" are all located in the Incidents and Apparatus list views under the "Reporting Options" selection bar.

If cuts in service have to be considered a "Brownout Scenario" area has been added to support an understanding of the consequences of closing one or more companies.

Video links at the bottom of this page take you through each step.

   Assembling Your Story

   1. Analyze Service Demand Trends
      a. Quantity trends by time
         i. Number of Incidents by Year Pre-programmed Reports / Graph Count
         ii. Number of Incidents by Year by Incident Type Pre-programmed Reports / Graph Count
         iii. Number of Incidents by Month–Last 12-months Pre-programmed Reports / Graph Count
         iv. Number of Incidents by Day of Week–12-months Pre-programmed Reports / Graph Count
         v. Number of Incidents by Hour of Day - 12-months Pre-programmed Reports / Graph Count
      b. Quantity trends by location & type - Last 12-Months
         i. Number of Incidents by Station Pre-programmed Reports / Graph Count
         ii. Number of Incidents by Station by Incident Type Pre-programmed Reports / Graph Count
         iii. Numeric Count of Incidents by Incident Type Pre-programmed Reports / Count
         iv. Numeric Count of Incidents by Property Type Pre-programmed Reports / Count
   2. Breakdown Fire Loss History
      a. Total Loss by Year Pre-programmed Reports / Graph Total
      b. Total Loss by Month by Year  Pre-programmed Reports / Graph Total
      c. Total Loss Station by Year  Pre-programmed Reports / Graph Total
      d. Fire loss is volatile, but are there any significant trends?
   3. Measure Distribution – Call to 1st Arrival
      a. Call to First Arrival  Approx. 90% at 7-minutes  Time Analyzer /Fractile Text
      b. Call Processing Approx. 90% at 1-minute
      c. Turnout – Approx. 90% at 2-minutes
      d. Travel – Approx. 90% at 4-minutes
      e. Simultaneous analysis  Staff Analyzer
      f. Reliability – Eng 1st arrival in home district 80%- 90%  Jurisdiction/Vehicles
      g. Measure & document aid activity / balance  Aid Analyzer
      h. Measure & document inter-station response activity  Aid Analyzer
   4. Track-down the Distribution Story
      a. If performance falls outside of expectations - investigate
         i. Analyze by Hour of Day Time Analyzer
         ii. Breakdown by Station  Time Analyzer
         iii. Breakdown by Fire, EMS or Other  Time Analyzer
      b. Develop a theory and test with additional reports.
   5. Measure Concentration - Multi-Company Arrivals
      a. 2nd apparatus arrival analysis Time Analyzer
         i. Core Areas – 2nd arrival generally 1-minute or less?
         ii. 2nd apparatus arrival by station area   Time Analyzer
      b. Set Deployment Compliance Goals Time Analyzer / Single Graph
         i. Measure for Department  Time Analyzer / Single Graph
         ii. Measure for each station  Time Analyzer / Single Graph
      c. Analysis of progressive engine / ladder arrivals
         i. In Apparatus filter to engines & ladders Apparatus List View / Reporting Options
         ii. Recalc arrival sequence; 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. Apparatus List View / Reporting Options
         iii. Fractiles for 2nd – 4th Eng / Ladder Arrivals Time Analyzer
      d. Analyze Arrival of Effective Response Force Time Analyzer
   6. If Necessary, Run Apparatus Brownout Scenarios
      a. Identify Company’s for Brownout  Apparatus / Reporting Options / GIS Analyzer
      b. Select time segment for brownout  Apparatus / Reporting Options / GIS Analyzer
      c. Create KML brownout maps  Apparatus / Reporting Options / GIS Analyzer
      d. Compare pre-brownout and post brownout performance  GIS Analyzer
   7. Review Community Risks in Light of Demand / Performance Findings
   8. Review Aid Agreements in Light of Demand / Performance Findings
   9. Review Resource Inventory
      a. Personnel
      b. Fixed facility
      c. Apparatus & Fleet
      d. Equipment & Supplies
   10. Assemble Key Graphs, Numeric Charts & Maps to Tell Your Story

  Demand Video - Day / Time Spreadsheet  (Revised 5/18/2009)

  Demand Video - Graphs and Numeric Charts  (Revised 5/18/2009)

  Fire Loss Video - Graphs and Spreadsheet Charts  (Revised 5/18/2009)

  Distribution Video - Time Analyzer Graphs & Charts  (Revised 5/18/2009)

  Concentration Video - Time Analyzer Graphs & Charts (Revised 5/18/2009)

  View a Demonstration of GIS in Action  (Revised 5/13/2009)

  Brownout Scenarios - Performance in Animated Maps (Revised 5/18/2009)

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

Notification of  Training Opportunities

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