Industry Insights: How Technology Helps Fire Departments Manage ISO Training Records
Editor's note: Industry Insights are sponsored blogs submitted by manufacturers and suppliers serving the fire service industry.
Tim Riley remembers the tension permeating across his entire department. It was the mid-1990s and the Dunedin Fire Department (Fla.) was embarking on a dreaded Insurance Services Office (ISO) audit.
“This was back when an audit by the ISO was about as well received as a root canal,” said Riley, who later went on to become the department’s training chief and now serves as TargetSolutions’ product specialist. “It was the first time we had gone through it. I remember the training officer at the time pulling his hair out. It was very stressful.”
Fast forward 20 years and many departments are still in the same unenviable position. The only difference is they don’t have to be. While meeting the ISO’s training requirements – and being able to prove it with accurate training records – is still critical to a fire department’s success, innovative technology now exists to simplify the process.
TargetSolutions’ impact on tracking and reporting ISO training hours
In the old days, it would take weeks, if not months, to prepare for an ISO audit. Manually compiling accurate spreadsheets, sifting through paperwork, searching for missing records, trying to decipher what training meets which requirements …. It was all perplexing. Fire chiefs, officers and captains tasked with prepping for reviews were overwhelmed – and in some cases, overmatched. And the fact an entire community’s insurance rate – as well as the department’s reputation – was hanging in the balance, only made it more daunting.
That same pressure exists today – but there is one major difference: Fire departments can turn to TargetSolutions, the leading online training management system to streamline and simplify recordkeeping of ISO training hours.
To collect information on a fire department’s fire suppression capabilities, the ISO uses various criteria, including staffing, response times, equipment, facilities, and training, among others things. The analysis of this information determines a department’s Public Protection Classification (PPC) rating. When it comes to ISO training requirements, very few departments would ever admit to not conducting the necessary exercises. But the catch is if they can document it with detailed reports.
Enter TargetSolutions, the industry’s foremost technology for records management. TargetSolutions has created a unique application for managing ISO compliance. The tool enables agencies to deliver pre-made ISO-required training activities to personnel and track records with built-in reports that meet the ISO’s specifications. When the ISO comes knocking at a department’s door, agencies are able to generate comprehensive reports perfectly structured for the review.
“TargetSolutions has built something very special, something that can help fire departments meet their ISO training requirements and report in a way the ISO will like,” said Riley. “The ISO Training Tracker is a game-changer for departments that want a simpler, more efficient and effective way to deliver and report training for ISO.”
How TargetSolutions’ ISO training tracker works for fire departments
The one-of-a-kind application is elegant and easy-to-use. Integrated into TargetSolutions’ learning management system – which also features more than 250 hours of Fire and EMS continuing education – is a record keeping app called Credentials. With Credentials, agencies are able to tap into ready-made buckets of digital ISO training activities for driver, officer, hazmat, company and facilities training. Company supervisors then assign the training to be conducted at the drill-yard – and after it’s completed the supervisor verifies online that personnel were in fact in attendance.
Having everything consolidated into one comprehensive package streamlines the reporting process. All it takes is a few simple clicks and the same training chiefs, officers and captains who previously sweat the very mention of an ISO audit, are able to pull required reports with ease.
“Our last ISO audit was a couple years ago and as you know, when the ISO comes in, they hit everything,” said Stuart Sprung, who serves as the training specialist for Oceanside Fire Department (Calif.). “They look at your water supply, they look at your staffing. Training is just one of the components of ISO."
“After finding out specifically what they were looking for I generated a report (with TargetSolutions) and that was the last I heard from them. When they evaluated us on our training we got top marks on everything because basically our documentation was on point. Everything that was required was being covered and every single person, everything they had done, had been documented pretty much to the hour.”
Sprung’s department, which has been using TargetSolutions since 2008, is one of hundreds of departments experiencing a better ISO training experience thanks to TargetSolutions. Take a look at what other customers have to say about the innovative training management technology:
Jim Whaley, Alcoa Fire Department (Tenn.): “The TargetSolutions layout is right in line with the form needed for ISO audits. This made it easy to access everything they were looking for.”
Guy Keirn, Pinellas County Training Group (Fla.): “TargetSolutions has created a records system that clearly allowed our organization to comply with our scheduled ISO audit in September 2010. The process of completing the training section of the report for ISO was seamless.”
Bob Olme, Wheat Ridge Fire Department (Colo.): “TargetSolutions is a very strong platform for tracking certifications, hours and all of the things you need from a certification standpoint. It’s also a great way to keep track of records for ISO compliance.”
Dennis Reglen, El Paso Fire Department (Texas): “I’m really excited about the ISO solution. ISO reports are such a big headache. It’s a lot of work getting ready for when the ISO team is going to be here. I think with this system it will be much easier. TargetSolutions (tracking capabilities) have cleaned up the process for us."
If you’re interested in learning more about TargetSolutions, check out our demo video and make sure to schedule a one-on-one consultation. We’re excited to show you how your agency can simplify ISO training management.
