For those of you who are new to FireJournal LITE, getting some foundation about the app, how it is intended to be used, and how it will evolve may be useful. This application is designed to get you comfortable using the iPad as a data collection device. It is technically sound, and most importantly, is the starting point for the evolution of fire station and incident journaling.
There are several things we should share about what FireJournal LITE is not. This is not an ICS app (yet). This app is not linked to computer aided dispatch (yet). Also, FireJournal is not a personal journal for dentists, teachers, or non-firefighting personnel. As you might expect, if an app is free, all kinds of people will download it – just to see what it does.
And to some extent, just to see what it does is part of our agenda. We’re focused on developing software that is useful and well thought out. So here are some updated questions that we’ll add to our FAQs shortly:
Question: Remind me – who is FireJournal LITE for?
Answer: FireJournal LITE is for first responders generally and fire officers (company commanders) specifically. It will help you keep track of your incident history, including permitting you to map ALL of your incidents by type. Use FireJournal LITE as a supplement for your journaling activities.
Question: Why doesn’t FireJournal LITE automatically tie in with my department’s computer aided dispatch (CAD) system?
Answer: Because it is the LITE version. There are many software vendors that offer CAD solutions. PureCommand is developing an application programmer interface (API) that software vendors may implement to link FireJournal PRO to CAD.
Question: I need to track situation status and resource status. Does FireJournal LITE do that?
Answer: No. FireJournal LITE is not an ICS application at this time. It is more about tracking what took place at the incident, not the status of firefighters, fire companies, or the incident management map and org structure. One of the key things many fire companies miss is “what happened at this fire?” – and FireJournal LITE helps you create a complete history of the actions and activities from each incident.
Question: It seems that FireJournal LITE may not include all of the features I need for my fire company and/or department. What do you say to that?
Answer: This version of FireJournal LITE is that – it’s a lite feature set. The there is an important reason for this. Every agency/department is different. Even with NFIRS, NFPA, and other standards emerging, how individuals interpret those standards varies. It’s very important to us that FireJournal LITE set the foundation upon which a strong fire management solution set is built. To do that, it has to be used. To make it the best possible solution, we need input from users – professional and volunteer firefighters – just like. you.
There are a number of ways that you can help us add the feature set that will make FireJournal PRO the go-to fire service iPad application. First of all, take our survey. It’s short, and should take about 15 minutes to complete. We’re giving ten $50 VISA gift cards away randomly to firefighters who take the survey during April of this year.
The other thing you can do is send us a note. Check out our contact page and feel free to get in touch. We’d like to hear from you.
