BLOOMINGTON, IN — Tracking exposures just got easier for public safety agencies, thanks to an integration between the FirstForward training platform and Emergency Reporting Records Management Software (RMS). The integration will create a simple, automated process for tracking exposures, saving time for responding crews and possibly saving lives down the road.
Awareness has been growing among emergency personnel, especially firefighters, of the need to track and record incidents of exposure to toxins and other dangerous environments. Having readily accessible records makes it easier to spot patterns among members of a crew, and provides first responders with a way to document incidents that may later become important to a legal case or medical diagnosis. This integration of the world’s largest cloud-based fire records management system with FirstForward has the potential to benefit first responders all over North America.
“Exposure tracking is critical for protecting the health of first responders. It is essential that they can provide documentation of exposures to ensure they receive the medical benefits they deserve,” said Ari Vidali, CEO of Envisage Technologies, which added exposure tracking to its FirstForward platform in 2018. “With this new integration, FirstForward is making exposure tracking more convenient and accurate than ever. We encourage all of our first responders to take this simple step to protect their own life and family and are deeply grateful for their service.”
Emergency Reporting supports more than 480,000 first responders, at nearly 6,500 Fire/Rescue and EMS agencies worldwide, with easy-to-use, cloud-based records management and reporting solutions. For FirstForward agencies with the integration, FirstForward will automatically receive a record of each run from Emergency Reporting. This will include incident data such as the location, time of arrival and departure, and type of call for each responder involved. It will also automatically send notifications to those responders to keep exposures and exposure tracking top-of-mind.
With time-consuming recordkeeping already a point of complaint for many agencies, the new process will encourage firefighters to track their exposures by making the process easier. FirstForward pulls the incident data directly from Emergency Reporting, reducing the amount of time each responder must spend entering data. Individual responders can fill in the details of their personal experience, such as any physical injuries, chemical or blood-borne pathogen exposures, or psychological trauma from the incident. This creates a web-based exposure record at FirstForward.com that first responders can always access for future reference, no matter where their lives and jobs may take them.
Envisage Technologies built the FirstForward platform as a free service to help public safety professionals track everything related to their career. The FirstForward Marketplace provides 700 training opportunities, including more than 150 free courses. The platform also offers a streamlined way to file and store training records with paperless documentation, and makes it easy to confirm that continuing education requirements are up-to-date. First responders can keep track of ongoing training, certifications, and renewal deadlines. They can also connect with other public safety professionals and share experiences and best practices.
An expanded platform designed for departments, FirstForward PRO includes professional tools to help streamline day-to-day operations and recordkeeping, for only $10 per person per year. Any department with a FirstForward PRO license automatically receives ER integration for all its crew members.
Clive Savacool, co-Founder of the groundbreaking Exposure Tracker software service that was incorporated into FirstForward in 2018, said he is excited about the partnership with Emergency Reporting.
“Firefighting will always be a dangerous occupation, but increased awareness and better tools of the trade can help keep a new generation safer and healthier than their predecessors,” said Savacool, a 23-year fire service veteran who has dedicated the second half of his career to improving the health and safety practices for first responders.
About Envisage Technologies: Envisage was founded in 2001 to automate the complex training operations for first responders, fire, law enforcement, and the military. We create solutions that make our world a safer place. Our mission is to improve the readiness of our nation’s public safety professionals to ensure they come home alive. The company’s Acadis training and compliance software platform leads the industry, serving over 1.6 million first responders across 9,600 public safety organizations, including both federal and state agencies. Our clients include federal law enforcement agencies, including the U. S. Department of Homeland Security, and many state law enforcement and public safety organizations. For more information, visit www.envisagenow.com.
About Emergency Reporting: Emergency Reporting’s mission is to empower first responders with the technology needed to keep themselves and their communities safe. Their Records Management and Reporting Solution acts as the centralized ecosystem that powers the entire operation, from training and events, to incident reporting and compliance, to real-time analytics and performance feedback through data. As the pioneer in cloud-based records management and reporting, ER has always been the smarter way forward for the Fire Service while also managing to be the most user-friendly solution available. Since 2003, the company has proudly supported over 480,000 first responders through this mission worldwide – including DoD/military installations and large entities such as NASA, nuclear power plants, and hospitals. For more information, visit www.emergencyreporting.com
About FirstForward: Built specifically for public safety professionals, FirstForward helps first responders stay safe and ready for duty by making paperless training and certification records, exposure tracking, and hundreds of peer-rated courses easily accessible from any location. They can also connect with others to share best practices. FirstForward provides free tools for first responders, plus low-cost powerful professional tools that enable departments to streamline and automate management of training, field experiences, compliance, policy documents, employment records, incident reports, and performance reviews. Departments can use FirstForward to ensure their team is well-trained and informed, and has up-to-date certifications and personnel reviews.
