A new fire response program called “Iam Responding” is being tested at the Mount Forest fire station, and if successful will be implemented across Wellington North.
Iam Responding uses smart phone technology to let fire staff know immediately who has received a call or dispatch, where they are and if they are responding.
The idea is to reduce response times and arrive on scene at an emergency quicker. As staff respond to calls, they are tracked on a live screen in the fire hall so it can immediately been seen if a full crew is on the way, or if additional personnel need to be paged.
This will prevent members who have arrived from waiting around needlessly or leaving the station before latecomers get there.
Other features included in the Iam Responding program are: hydrant and water source mapping, an instant mass-messaging system for department-wide communication, training, attendance and class certification tracking, along with fully integrated Google Maps technology.
So far the fire service seems to be happy with the results, Fire Chief David Guilbault told council on Sept. 29.
“We’re testing it and the feedback has been extremely positive,” he said. “Once the bugs are worked out we’ll be implementing it right across Wellington County.”
