You’re the commander of a single engine company and you’re en route to a structure fire. It’s early in the morning and you’ve just completed relief as have all of the other companies in your battalion. Nobody has completed line up yet, so the vitals for the day remain unknown.
Your engine comes up over a hill and you see a dark loomup in the distance. Taking your smart phone out, you snap a photo cialis canada. You send it to your Battalion Commander and Dispatch. Then, you turn your attention to your crew and on-scene arrival.
As your crew disembarks from the rig, you are on the radio to your dispatch. “I’ve got a 100 by 150 commercial with fire thru the roof,” you tell them. Then, you quickly snap off two additional photos, including the exposures and the main building. Again, these images are sent to the incoming BC and your dispatch center.
Within seconds, the BC is on the radio, requesting additional resources and dictating that, “nobody goes inside the structure. We will fight this fire in a defensive mode, pending additional information.”
While the actual management of an incident such as the one described is general, and doesn’t take into account possible search or other functions, the overall ability to share information that helps commanders and dispatch managers understand what is taking place is a game changer for significant incidents.
If your phone is not set up to manage distribution, time will not be your friend. But, with some planning, you can pre-organize appropriate groups that can be rapidly tapped up and photos sent.
Your smartphone has given dispatch and your BC eyes on the incident prior to arrival. You could also use an iPad, as they include cameras and the ability to record your voice. Overall, you’re contributing to firefighter safety.
During the coming few weeks, we’ll discuss the use of mobile and tablet technology in support of fire companies, best practices, and how you can maximize your comms with your peers, dispatch, and other critical players.
