Manufacturer's Corner: A Single Platform for Fire Department Training and Workforce Management
Editor's Note: Manufacturers’ Corner content is sponsored by manufacturers and suppliers serving the fire service industry.
TargetSolutions originally made its mark in the fire service delivering dynamic online continuing education courses, easy-to-use training management software, and world-class customer service. But over the last couple of years, the company’s service offering has evolved into something more robust.
Today, TargetSolutions is a one-stop shop for fire department training, compliance, operations, and workforce management. The industry’s leading platform features a powerful system for scheduling, delivering and tracking training; while providing agencies with the ability to manage inspections from a mobile device, as well as an entire crew’s schedule and overtime.
With this varying functionality, TargetSolutions has become an all-in-one solution for fire departments. TargetSolutions is now designed to serve the various needs of public safety agencies.
“TargetSolutions is much more than an accredited training provider for continuing education,” said Marc Scheipe, Chief Operating Officer for Vector Solutions. “Developments such as CrewSense and TargetSolutions Check It™ establish TargetSolutions as an all-in-one workforce management solution for public safety agencies. Streamlining ongoing tasks and tracking data through one system helps agencies consolidate resources, save time, reduce human error, and perform more effectively in the field.”
TargetSolutions’ Unrivaled Online Training Management System
TargetSolutions offers dynamic, video-based courses in its online firefighter training catalog with comprehensive series for NFPA 1001, NFPA 1410, NFPA 1500, ARFF and more. Courses are continually updated to reflect changing standards or the needs of the fire industry – such as TargetSolutions’ new course: NFPA 1851 – Cancer-Related Risks of Firefighting. Additionally, TargetSolutions’ EMS continuing education training is accredited by CAPCE and includes more than 250 hours of CEUs.
Beyond engaging online courses, the TargetSolutions platform makes it simple to deliver, track and report all training activities. Tracking tools such as the Credentials module centralizes all related training for a certification or license and makes it easy for platform administrators and individuals to view training progress. Then, when the time comes to report training, user-friendly reporting tools enable you to assess crucial data and export findings for external agencies such as the Insurance Service Office (ISO).
“(TargetSolutions is) one of those pieces of technology that makes us better at what we do,” said Keith Bryant, who served as chief of Oklahoma City Fire Department prior to becoming head of the U.S. Fire Administration. “This was something we needed for a long time and we’ve seen immediate improvements. The mass data that you have to collect and give to ISO for their rating, that’s more readily available with TargetSolutions. It’s better, more accurate.”
A Total Solution for Workforce & Human Capital Management
CrewSense is TargetSolutions’ latest release that delivers workforce management tools for mission-critical industries. Available in a mobile and desktop application, departments have a centralized platform to visualize staffing levels for each shift, coordinate overtime hiring, and callbacks and automate vacation bidding. With CrewSense, the power to simplify all your workforce scheduling tasks is in your hands.
Intelligent, rules-based modules enable platform administrators to automate callbacks and improve fairness in the hiring back process. You can set up the system to automatically reach out to the appropriate personnel and fill hire back positions based on years of service, classification, etc. Additionally, the self-maintaining Auctions module helps firefighters select vacation days and uses pre-determined rules to control which days individuals can request off according to their time-off accruals, seniority, and other factors.
Two-way communication also makes it easy for personnel to respond to callbacks and determine how they want to be contacted – via email, phone call, text message, app notification, page and more. Notification history and replies are all stored in one digital location to ensure administrators are in-the-know and accurate data is collected.
With CrewSense, you can generate visually-driven reports with extensive metrics such as accrual hours, overtime shifts, payroll, and other details. This easily exportable data can help your department identify patterns or issues and take action if necessary.
Streamline Daily Inspections with a Powerful Application
The TargetSolutions Check It™ system is a dynamic application for mobile truck and equipment inspections for emergency response industries. With this application, all apparatus and other inventory data is easily accessible via TargetSolutions’ online platform.
Customize checklists for everything in your department that undergoes routine inspections such as trucks, PPE, hoses, medical supplies, narcotics and more. Using the features in the TargetSolutions Check It™ application, you can organize your department’s items and vehicles according to their location, assigned personnel or other factors. For even easier navigation and access to equipment, the built-in barcode scanner also allows individuals to look up an item in the mobile app with just a few clicks.
In addition to simplifying how inspections are performed and documented, you can use this system to open and track work orders on apparatus or equipment out for repair or maintenance. Work Order columns keep your entire department in the know of an item’s repair status and ensure transparency.
Best of all, TargetSolutions Check It™ reports are visually-driven and provide a detailed look at an item’s status, checks performed, costs and more. Reports are also easily exported in PDF, CSV and other file formats for additional analysis.
