Fire chief: New system saves time, money
Cloud-based software program streamlines EMS, fire reporting
A new software program will save firefighters and emergency medical personnel work and time. Yuma Fire Department staff previously used two separate programs to complete fire and EMS reports.
Now, with the ImageTrend report management system, the fire department is using the same program for both types of reports, saving the agency not only time and work, but also money.
Fire Chief Steve Irr and Battalion Chief Daniel Ott presented the new system and explained its capabilities to the city council during its Oct. 16 work session.
“We think this will solve a lot of problems going forward,” Irr said.
The program was “well needed” and brings the fire department into national and state compliance, Irr noted. He thanked the council for supporting the budget expense.
Ott explained the department started implementing it last year under his predecessor, Battalion Chief Joe Waterford.
“The nice thing is that it’s cloud-based now,” Ott said. However, “even if you don’t have internet connection, it will work.”
The cloud-based interface and offline documentation “gives you anytime, anywhere capability for EMS incidents.”
The previous system, Health EMS, did not allow for real-time reporting nor support fire reports.
“With the old software we were doing fire reports in one system and EMS in another system. So it was kind of double work for the guys,” Ott said.
The fees are about the same. With Health EMS, the department paid $1.35 per report, or about $18,000 to $20,000 a year, and $5,000 a year to buy forms and shred documentation.
With ImageTrend, the cost is about $19,000 per year and $1,000 to $2,000 for form purchases and docu-
mentation shredding, saving the department about $5,000 a year.
“One of the things we really like now is that we’re able to use iPads,” Ott said.
The department previously used Panasonic ToughBooks CF19 with a cost of $4,500 each. The iPad is $450 each.
“If we have any problems, it’s easier to replace a lot quicker,” he noted.
The data analysis possible with ImageTrend “was a big thing for us too,” he added.
The new system allows the department to get alerts and “stay in the know” with the real-time details, helping YFD to “recognize significant milestones (that could) drive future improvements.”
ImageTrend’s reporting database gives the flexibility to quickly and easily create “dynamic” reports. For example, it can easily produce a report on the average age of patients who suffer cardiac arrest.
“The number of reports this can do is out there,” Ott noted. “If there’s something you want to find out in your neighborhood or in your area, let us know, we can find the numbers out.”
It also can identify trends and patterns that allow for strategy adjustments and mapping that can highlight areas of significance to the community.
The report writer feature also empowers agency administrators and data managers to gauge key performance indicators and monitor quality assurance/quality improvement factors.
“We can come in the morning if we have it all set up and the report is already ready. It runs itself every week,” Ott said.
After the presentation, Councilman Mike Sheldon said he had been thinking about how the new system could be superior to the old one. “You went over that in detail, so I appreciate that very much, what makes this better in many ways, and it looks like this is a good bargain for all of us.”
Mayor Doug Nicholls asked whether putting everything on the cloud — although convenient — is secure. Ott pointed out ImageTrend has a “top” level of security and there should be “no problem with security at all.”
The company has multiple server sites. “It is safe to work through the web,” Irr said, noting it’s one of the things they investigated “because we wanted to ensure their data would not be breached.”
Deputy Mayor Gary Knight wanted to know if the program was connected to the hospital. Ott replied that Yuma Regional Medical Center has access to EMS reports within seconds of being uploaded.
Smoke alarms for at-risk homes
During the regular meeting held Oct. 18, the council also authorized the city administrator to execute the required documents to receive $10,000 in grant funding from the federal Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program.
The funds are for the purchase of smoke alarms to be installed in at-risk homes and English and Spanish educational materials for distribution to the community through supporting organizations such as the American Red Cross, Yuma Neighborhood Services and Yuma County Community Emergency Response Team.
At-risk homes include those without working smoke alarms, outdated smoke alarms or inadequate smoke alarms. Under the terms of the grant, the city is required to provide matching funds in the amount of $500, or 5 percent of the awarded amount. The city must use the funds by Aug. 10.
The council also approved an amendment extending an option provision in the water delivery agreement with Yuma Cogeneration Associates through Dec. 31, 2024. The option provision allows Yuma Cogeneration to take an additional 500 acre feet of raw water in lieu of 1,000 acre feet of effluent wastewater.
Based on the city’s current annual Colorado River water diversions of about 25,000 acre feet and the city’s 50,000 acre feet entitlement, the city does not anticipate the use of raw water in lieu of effluent will create any adverse water issues for the city, a staff report said.
Yuma Cogeneration Associates is a natural gas electrical and steam generation plant that produces up to 50 megawatts of electricity for the San Diego Gas & Electric Company.