Articles

 Fire Engineering - Article on PrePlanView Customer

St. Clair Shores, MI Fire Department Continues On Its High-Tech Plan      

Innovative technology continues to take firefighting in St Clair Shores Michigan to a whole new level. When Matthew Kovalcik became Fire Chief about 5 years ago, he developed a plan to bring technology to the St. Clair Shores Fire Department. His first goal was to get computers in his apparatus and laptops for his shift commanders. He set out to use grant money to acquire not only the equipment, but also the best software solution available to computerize his building site plans or preplans. "As a result, the St Clair Shores Fire Department has now deployed a software preplan system from Viewpoint Command Systems, called PreplanView to provide critical information instantly to responders during an incident," says Fire Chief Kovalcik. "It’s a remarkable system that has allowed us to create and update our building plans in a consistent format. Like any software program there was a learning curve, but overall it has been very easy to learn and use." Before using PrePlanView, firefighters would have to look up hard-copy folders, containing information such as building plans and nearest hydrants as required in Michigan with Fire Fighter Right to Know. But now, once fire dispatch answers an emergency call, the responding units can enter the address or name of the company/business and have not only the plan, but all vital information available to them as they respond via PrePlanView on his laptop. "From a safety point of view, it gives us a huge amount of information on the buildings, so that even en-route, we are able to access what we need. Whether we need more people, or whether the building has hazardous materials in it, we have the information at our fingertips," adds the St. Clair Shore’s Chief. "We currently have about 200 preplans created and our goal is to have every business in the community completed. We started with prioritized targeted areas such as schools and marinas. So, when we respond to an incident, there is a high expectation the information that we have is timely and accurate." The system works kind of like an ATM machine. It is all touch-screen. So even if you haven’t used it in a while it is very easy to remember. Not the case at this fire station. St. Clair Shores uses PrePlanView in weekly training sessions. One preplan is accessed and reviewed on their large screen video system, another recent technology addition. PrePlanView PrePlanView Chief Kovalcik believes PrePlanView is "working very well for us." We have not had a major incident to use the system in a worst case scenario, but have used it on regular runs for contact names and numbers, shut off information and other information readily available. Training with multiple agencies, prior to having this system, in a mock hostage/school incident showed how valuable this tool could have been at a command post. Chief Kovalcik believes the next steps in his technology plan are to be able to share preplan information with other responding departments such as police, and then with auto-aid and mutual-aid partners. Everyone will be viewing the same information about the site. The Chief doesn’t plan to stop there. His ideal goal is to have his dispatch center integrated with PrePlanView so that preplans can be automatically activated en route on all of the laptops. Chief Kovalcik summed it up this way. "I am very happy that there was a software program out there with a realistic vision. This product gets us closer to the ideal world – reducing negative surprises at the scene, improving our first responder’s safety." The St Clair Shores Police Department has now also deployed PrePlanView in their vehicles and commander’s laptops. was developed several years ago by Viewpoint Command Systems and is being used by fire departments across Michigan and other states. It is very unique because building and site plans can be viewed in 3-D. This allows incident commanders to rotate the site for a virtual walk-around en route, zoom and pan the site, show detail on multiple story buildings. AND, it’s all VISUAL. You do not have to look up anything. A Fire Fighter or commander can just touch areas of the screen to instantly display information, such as hydrant info, hazardous materials, building information, and contacts. is deployed at the three (3) fire stations, the training room, and on each front line engine, as well as the shift commanders’ laptop. 　

dBusiness - Detroit Business Article on PrePlanView

A software package created in Birmingham, MI equips emergency responders with digital tools to better identify and respond to fires, hazardous materials, and attacks. Talk about old school. For years, fire commanders have created simple line drawings of large campuses and industrial centers that contain hazardous materials. Not only were these paper plans cumbersome, they could be misfiled or misplaced — and they weren’t easily shared with other safety personnel. Enter Birmingham-based Viewpoint Command Systems, which created an easy-to-use software package that provides firefighters, for example, with digital maps, 3-D floor plans, and active alerts for hazardous materials, medical dangers, and structural problems. Using a laptop equipped with the $1,100 software package, a firefighter can also indicate the location of fire hydrants, a structure’s entrance and exit points, ductwork, and drains. “The first 15 minutes are crucial when responding to any type of accident or attack,” says Gilbert C. Cox Jr., principal of Viewpoint Command Systems, along with local restaurateur Herb Abrash and others. “It’s important that emergency responders have all the information at their fingertips, because if you go into an area that houses lithium and you start spraying water, there’ll be a huge explosion.”

The system, called PrePlanView, has a touch-screen interface and doesn’t require a network connection to operate. The mobility of the system allows for quick inputs and changes, whether at a fire station or out in the field, says Troy fire chief Bill Nelson. “We’ve completed around 200 building surveys from among 3,000 structures, and so far the system is working very well,” Nelson says. “Fortunately, we haven’t had a major incident, but we’re much better prepared if we do.” In addition, police officials can use the software to identify escape routes if a building has been seized or in the event of a hostage situation.

“During the Columbine High School attack (in 1999), the safety personnel on the ground were asking the students where the cafeteria was because they needed to shut off the alarms,” says Viewpoint operations manager Rich Politi. “One advantage of our software is that it can be shared across multiple disciplines, whether it’s fire or police officials, the U.S. Coast Guard, or Homeland Security.” In addition, Viewpoint is working to integrate small, GPS-type monitors with the software package so that unit commanders can track and view the live activities of a fire or security team. “We’re also looking at offering the system to building inspectors,” says Viewpoint president Les Frahm. “Since we started two years ago, we’ve taken on 28 communities, and [we’re] in discussions with 15 more. Perhaps the best thing we did on the marketing side is to attend as many fire, security, and law-enforcement conventions as possible. Once safety officials see the system, they want more information.”