Any help is appreciated

[no1special]

I am being tasked with adding Special circumstances to our dispatch CAD system . What I am trying to do is get information from our residents about special conditions ie Invalid , Oxygen use, etc. that would be important to the FIRE service not necessarily Ems in the event of a Fire. I don't know how to approach the public about this as I don't want specifics of there condition just what we as the fire dept would need to know in the event of a fire or other emergency like where they are located and/or storage locations of Oxtgen.

We will put this into the CAD so we are notified when dispatched to these addresses of the condition or location of said occupantsor equipment.

Does anybody have documents they have filled out or ideas for me I have thoughts but I don't want to reinvent the wheel if possible. Also I am not a dispatcher nor do I know what software they use I am just giving them the information . Thank you

[CaptOldTimer]

Two ways you can do this. One is to have the fire company canvas their districts and gather this information. Explaining why it is needed.

The other is have the gas and water department put a notice, flyer, in the bills, asking the public to call a special number and provide the information that is in that flyer. Also a TV PSA may help too. Open houses at the fire house the members can gather some information for you.

Don't' get all excited, as most folks may not tell you a thing.

[sfd1992]

Hopefully whoever tasked you with this realizes this.......

Don't' get all excited, as most folks may not tell you a thing.

I don't know how big of an area you serve, but this could be a huge commitment in time and effort, for very little result. I would do the mailer if it's not cost-prohibitive, maybe a PSA.

You could drive the area and look for signs for in-home daycares, backyard auto repair shops, in-home eldercare setups and the like. That's going to tell you what MIGHT be inside.

You could check with whoever maintains business licenses for your jurisdiction, find out some of the same basic info.

Check with the healthcare supply companies that provide O2 and medical supplies to private parties. They won't release customer info, but they can ask their customers for permission, ask them to contact you, etc.

Those things and a mailer are your best bets for getting some info, quickly.

Honestly, IMO, it's not worth putting a huge amount of time and effort in for the results that you're likely to get.

[tree68]

We have a commercial outfit that wants to provide this type of service, to be fed into our CAD from their server. I'm not sure they're making any progress.

News releases are essentially free. Hit your local outlets. Letters to fraternal organizations, elder groups (senior citizen centers), churches, etc will cost next to nothing and will target home O2 users.

You'd think that people would want us to be able to find their houses if they have an emergency, but a local media blitz (TV, papers, radio, even a local drug chain helped by printing 500 of the flyers per store and using them as bag stuffers) this past spring asking them to plainly post their addresses has produced rather limited results.

So I'd expect limited results.

Another thought, with regard to stuff like medical O2 in homes would be to contact doctors offices (a nice letter would suffice) asking them to ask their patients to provide that information to you.

Above all, you need to stress to the public that this information will be used only in emergency circumstances.

I'd be willing to bet that there's at least one "backyard" shop using welding equipment that is somehow violating some law or other regulation. Don't expect to hear from them...

[hwoods]

And...........

Why even do this?? IF you treat EVERY Fire the same way, suprises should be kept at a minimum. Expect the Unexpected. Works well for us.......

[voyager9]

Our department does pre-sale inspections for smoke detectors and fire extinguishers. If your department does something similar that would be an opportunity to ASK the homeowner or provide an optional form to document hazards.

The upside to this is that it's free.. you're going to be in the house anyway.. might as well ask. The downside is that the information can quickly become out of date as it would only get updated when homes are sold.

[DeputyMarshal]

Why even do this?? IF you treat EVERY Fire the same way, suprises should be kept at a minimum. Expect the Unexpected. Works well for us.......

The other aspect of such a data collection effort is that it will have to be constantly updated. You stand a good chance of running into a "Tot Finder" sort of problem -- there's a good reason we don't encourage those damn stickers any more...

[no1special]

Thanks

All thank you for your comments. Chief Woods, the reason we are thinking about this is there was a specific situation in that a resident approached us and said I have a child who is confined to there bed and they are located just inside the rear door first door on the left. We were thinking that in the event of a fire we "may" enter in the front or the rear but if we know the persons location it may change our operation a little and be the difference between a save and a recovery. As you have all pointed out it is a big undertaking and due to our size 52 sq miles and 75000+- residents it may be too time consuming but we are providing a service and if we can benefit our customers we think it is worth some time.


I was thinking that if the database is in place it could be updated yearly with either a mailer or call to the last known resident asking if the situation was still "active" . Again time consuming but in the end if it saves a life it may be worth it.

[DeputyMarshal]

One other route you might want to pursue... There is an option for the sort of information you're talking about to be added to the 9-1-1 system attached to the phone number rather than having to track it yourself. All you might need to do is point people in the right direction to file the relevant information with the phone company.

[tree68]

...the reason we are thinking about this is there was a specific situation in that a resident approached us and said I have a child who is confined to there bed...

I think there's probably a middle ground here. If your CAD will store/provide such information, by all means use the capability. Searching for it means you'll have to maintain it, as has been noted. Your dispatch center may not have the resources to do that for you.

As an example, our CAD will send out text messages to select addresses (it's actually email, but you can send an email to your phone if you know the address). But they don't want to administer the hundreds of potential recipients that would be involved if they did so right down to the line firefighter level. So they limit it to the current chiefs.

What they will do, however, is include "group" address on their list. We use "GoogleGroups." With that, I can add or delete members without taking up the time of the dispatchers.

But that's just an example of workload for oft-overstretched dispatchers.

I think you've got a noble idea, but the devil, as always, is in the details.

[voyager9]

I'm not familiar with the details of the CAD system, but I know they can add text to the geonarrative. We use it for exactly the situation you describe.

The info about the incident (and any location narratives) are emailed out to a department address where it then gets forwarded to apparatus-specific accounts (for MDT's) and officers who have opted to receive them.

[hwoods]

Ok............

All thank you for your comments. Chief Woods, the reason we are thinking about this is there was a specific situation in that a resident approached us and said I have a child who is confined to there bed and they are located just inside the rear door first door on the left. We were thinking that in the event of a fire we "may" enter in the front or the rear but if we know the persons location it may change our operation a little and be the difference between a save and a recovery. As you have all pointed out it is a big undertaking and due to our size 52 sq miles and 75000+- residents it may be too time consuming but we are providing a service and if we can benefit our customers we think it is worth some time.


I was thinking that if the database is in place it could be updated yearly with either a mailer or call to the last known resident asking if the situation was still "active" . Again time consuming but in the end if it saves a life it may be worth it.

I understand. And I'm in no way opposed to your idea, I just wondered if the Benefit was worth the effort. But, as you pointed out, Save one life and it IS worth the effort........ Good Luck with your Project......

DM, Again, right on the Money. Maryland actually had to ban the danm things......

[MemphisE34a]

the reason we are thinking about this is there was a specific situation in that a resident approached us.....

And there you have it. Anyone that is concerned about it will most likely contact you on their own.

My advice would be to send out a press release to the Local paper and news channels that is short and simple:

The fire department is encouraging any residents that may have conditions that will affect their ability to exit their home in case of fire to share that information by contacting the fire department administrative offices at xxx-xxxx.

This information will be used in firefighting and rescue efforts should a fire be reported at your residence.

See who contacts you. If they don't care, you shouldn't either. Do your job to the best of your ability with the information, or lack there of, that you are given when dispatched.

[lexfd5]

The problem is not getting the initial information. It's keeping it updated.

How often are you going to go back and update what you have collected? If you are expecting the person who gave you the information initially good luck. Their "baby" will be 18 by the time they get around to giving you an update.