Back to blogHow to Use Reporting & Analytics to Improve Your Fire Agency’s Operations

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How does your fire department use data? Do you have a system in place that allows you to quickly access important information about your daily operations? How does that information guide decisions about resources, training, personnel, and processes?

The unfortunate reality is that many fire departments don’t have useful reporting and analytics tools. They might have a system for inputting and collecting data about a variety of performance markers, but they can’t easily access that data in a meaningful way, which limits their understanding of the department’s needs.

The Benefits of Reporting & Analytics Tools

Reporting and analytics tools fill this important gap. With these resources, fire agencies can do more than simply compile information. The software allows for the efficient and comprehensive organization of data, which makes it easy to access a wide variety of reports.

For instance:

  • Which day of the week do the most fires occur?
  • How many incidents took place during a particular month? How does that compare to other months in the same year? How does that compare to the same month last year?
  • In which areas are responders called to most often?
  • What is the department’s 90th percentile response time?
  • How did response times vary between service areas? Times of day?
  • Is one station more efficient at turnout than others?  What about a shift or unit?
  • On average, how much time is spent at the scene of an incident?  What types of incidents require the longest time commitment?
  • What percent of our incidents are Emergent vs non-Emergent?  What types of Non-Emergent incidents are we spending time on?

These are just a few examples of the types of reports you can quickly access with the right software. This gives a helpful picture of your department’s operations. What’s more, analytics tools help you make sense of the data by providing a clear picture of strengths as well as key challenges, which helps inform your decision-making process.

For example, based on real-time data about your specific agency, you might find that response times to a specific service area are several minutes slower than the overall average response time. Or you might find that one station consistently outperforms others in turnout time, which will lead you to ask what do they do differently?

This type of information can then guide resource allocation—including equipment, personnel, and training—to help your department meet those key challenges and improve its overall performance.

Software Essentials

It’s important to implement quality reporting and analytics software. Some important features to look for include:

  • Visual aids including charts, tables, and graphs. This type of visual representation makes the data easier to understand from a variety of perspectives.
  • A data validation process that allows you to verify the accuracy of the data.
  • Data security that prevents access to information from unauthorized users.
  • Reference data that helps contextualize information and provide a more complete picture of a particular issue.
  • System responsiveness that allows for quick and easy access to data reports.
  • Ongoing service from the software provider to tailor the software to your specific needs.
  • Geospatial processing to provide a deeper understanding of service areas, distances, response routes, etc.

How Intterra Can Enhance Your R&A Capabilities

Intterra provides reporting and analytics solutions that will dramatically improve the speed and accuracy of your reporting system. Our software offers a number of advantages over solutions.

A Cloud-Based Environment

Because our software is cloud-based, it’s much easier to store and access information from anywhere, on any device. It’s also easier to perform software updates. And data is encrypted on cloud-based servers, so your information is more secure.

Data Reporting

Our reporting software allows you to quickly and easily run queries that will produce accurate and relevant reports. It integrates seamlessly with your RMS Data and CAD History Data. It also provides the ability to segment data in various ways so that you can hone in on specific variables.

Presentation

Intterra’s software allows you to view data in multiple ways, including data charts and graphs that are easy to read. It can also be easily downloaded as a spreadsheet.

Data Control

As an Intterra customer, you maintain control over your data. You own the data, and you can control who has access to what types of information.

Customization

We can tailor our software to meet your individual needs. The elements of your dashboard as well as the scope of data reporting can be adjusted according to your preferences. We also work with fire departments to understand their unique situation and the software solutions that will offer the most meaningful information.

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