Full Case Study
Client Background:
A midwest Fire Department serves a diverse community in the heart of the Midwest region, facing unique challenges related to urban blight, property abandonment, and vacant buildings. With an increasing number of vacant structures posing safety hazards to firefighters and residents alike, the Fire Department recognized the need for a comprehensive solution to track and manage vacant properties within their jurisdiction.
Challenge:
The Fire Department faced several challenges in addressing the issue of vacant buildings:
- Safety Concerns: Firefighters encountered unsafe conditions while responding to incidents in vacant buildings, including structural instability, compromised integrity, and hazardous materials
- Lack of Visibility: The Fire Department lacked a centralized system for tracking vacant properties, making it difficult to identify and assess potential hazards during emergency response operations
- Operational Inefficiencies: Without access to accurate and up-to-date information on vacant buildings, firefighters wasted valuable time and resources investigating properties on-site, putting themselves at risk and delaying response efforts
Solution:
To address these challenges, the Fire Department implemented Intterra’s ActivePlan pre-planning tool, leveraging its advanced features to track vacant properties and ensure firefighter safety.
Implementation:
The implementation process involved the following steps:
- Data Collection: The Fire Department collaborated with local agencies, including city planning departments and code enforcement offices, to gather data on vacant properties within their jurisdiction. This information included property addresses, ownership status, building conditions, and known hazards
- Integration with Intterra: Vacant property data was seamlessly integrated into Intterra’s ActivePlan pre-planning tool, allowing firefighters to access this information directly from the platform’s common operating picture (COP) during emergency response operations
- Customized Layers: Intterra’s platform was configured to display vacant property locations as a distinct layer on the COP, providing firefighters with visual cues to identify potential hazards, levels of risk and avoid unsafe buildings while responding to incidents
- Training and Education: Firefighters received comprehensive training on using Intterra’s ActivePlan pre-planning tool, including how to interpret vacant property data and incorporate it into their response strategies effectively
Results:
The adoption of Intterra’s pre-planning tool provided the following benefits for the Fire Department:
- Improved Firefighter Safety: By providing real-time visibility into vacant properties, Intterra’s platform enables firefighters to avoid unsafe buildings during emergency response operations, reducing the risk of injuries and fatalities
- Enhanced Operational Efficiency: Firefighters can quickly identify and assess vacant properties from the COP, enabling them to make informed decisions and allocate resources more effectively during incidents
- Data-Driven Decision-Making: Intterra’s ActivePlan pre-planning tool empowers the Fire Department with data-driven insights into vacant property trends and patterns, allowing fire department leadership to prioritize proactive interventions and community outreach efforts
- Interagency Collaboration: The Fire Department collaborates with local agencies to share vacant property data and coordinate efforts to address blight property abandonment issues collaboratively
Conclusion:
By leveraging Intterra’s ActivePlan pre-planning tool to track vacant properties and integrate this data into their common operating picture, the Fire Department has significantly enhanced firefighter safety and operational effectiveness. With real-time visibility into potential hazards and proactive measures to mitigate risks, the Fire Department is better equipped to protect both responders and residents from the dangers associated with vacant buildings in their community.
