Critical Issue

"Every incident involving first responders must have an Incident Action Plan – spoken or written. But developing and distributing an IAP for a complex incident is beyond the means of an incident commander." – Fire Chief, City Fire Department

Reasons for the Problem

Many incidents start simple, then become complex; others start complex. In any case, there are not enough time and resources to properly develop an IAP when lives are in the balance, and responders’ first instincts are to respond.

Available tools are either inaccessible in the field or are not part of the everyday response process.

"If we don’t use the tools every day for simple incidents, we’re not going to pull them out and jump the learning curve for the more trying incidents."

Communication of action plans, however critical, is compounded in difficulty because:

• The command structure dynamically changes as the incident expands and progresses;
• Multiple jurisdictions are involved; and
• Multiple departments are involved.

Most action plans are communicated orally. This makes it difficult to distribute the plan, and there is no logging and tracking of what was ordered and done.

Even with significant preplanning capabilities, critical response information is not available in real-time to the field commander.

Impact

The department implements seat-of-the-pants or instinctual action plans, rather than carefully thinking through operations.

Plans are often ineffectively communicated to the parties involved.

Responder plans and operational actions are not recorded and therefore unavailable later for protection against legal action and internal review of best practices.

Critical information already gathered and possibly processed by the agency is not utilized by the responders it was intended to help. Bottom line: Not having a proper IAP puts both the responders and the public at unnecessary risk.

The ADASHI 3.0 Solution

ADASHI 3.0 aids IAP development with resource tracking and management, touch-screen multi-view mobile GIS, map annotation, automated visualization of hazards including hot/warm zones, isolation distances, evacuation areas, and real-time weather.

The software also provides:

• Communication over any network
• Contextually available preplans easily distributed
• Logging and reporting
• Complete NIMS integration

Benefits

Using ADASHI 3.0 software as part of the daily routine – including CAD communication, audible turn-by-turn routing, and position assignment check-in – transforms seamlessly into a complete command and control system.

As soon as CAD dispatches first responders to an incident, the Incident Action Plan is initiated and immediately bolstered by critical pre-plans including floor plans, site layouts, access information, real-time video, and hazard repositories. Developing the plan visually on a map with drag-and-drop ease automatically distributes the information throughout the fleet using standard NIMS protocols. All procedures are logged and available for after-action reports both internally and in a courtroom.

ADASHI presents "critical insight" information that allows the first responder to take fast and effective action.