There's nothing we enjoy more than sharing the merits of the fine people that are part of the Intterra family any chance we get. However, this isn't your standard 'Get to Know the Team' type of post, as we're overjoyed to express the just how excited we are to have our new Chief Operations Officer, Molly Hausmann. We love the vision and capability Molly brings to her new executive role, and we intend to share a little more about her coming into this demanding role at Intterra.
GUEST BLOGGER: Lt. Chris Rogers, Kirkland Fire Department, WA. (Editor's note: A special thanks to Lt. Rogers for taking the time to share his insights on the future of technology, preplanning, and geospatial issues facing our industry. The opportunity to exchange ideas with the brightest minds in the fire service is one of the best aspects of our job here at Intterra.)
The future is looking bright and shiny when it comes to all of the new technology becoming available to public safety officials. It's exciting to think that the advanced systems currently emerging will be perfected in the coming years and even more powerful technology will be developed.
For folks in the fire service, some of the most promising breakthroughs are in the area or geospatial mapping and the tremendous advantages it will provide to everyone on the ground. In the next five years, you are going to start to see increasing use of geospatial data to enhance the safety of responders and give them the edge they need to better protect people and prevent tragedies.
GUEST BLOGGER: Holger Durre, Planning and Analysis Chief, Poudre Valley Fire Authority. (Editor's note: A big thank you from us to BC Durre for his insight.Talk to anyone in the Fire Service about analysis and accreditation for very long, and his name will come up. Valued widely for his "roll up your sleeves" work ethic in this area, Holger represents a refreshing new voice.)
The fire service is changing more rapidly now than it has in the entirety of its existence. If your ears aren’t perking up in regards to the influence of this changing environment, I would ask you to unbuckle your radio strap, postpone your next web surfing for fire videos, and tune in long enough to listen to the sweet sound of the winds of change. They are prevailing, and they will be with us as long as any of us serving in this profession will be around. For instance, the role that pre-hospital medicine, data analysis, and the science of fire behavior are playing is just the tip of the iceberg. Understand and know that these issues already have, and will continue to, change our industry profoundly in the years to come. However, as a culture, we have a significant blind spot that has the potential to impact our constituents if we don’t look over our shoulders.
We always get so excited to bring you new information about a different member of our terrific staff every two weeks. At Intterra, each employee plays a uniquely valuable role. We really couldn't exist without everybody on the team. As part of our get to know the team series, we invite you to meet Andy McMurry this week. Andy is an Account Manager here at Intterra, and he makes a huge difference in our day-to-day operations. Aside from being great at what he does, he's a really important person in our lives overall. We depend on him for his wisdom and experience, and we love him for his example of how to love people. Here are his responses to our questions:
As we wrap up 2016, it's important to take a look at things that are going to have a significant impact on 2017. By exploring these trends now, it's more likely that you'll be able to capitalize on them and create a more productive year for your department and all of the people involved within your jurisdiction. The Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data are accelerating the pace of progress in Public Safety just like every other aspect of our lives. And the must-discuss item that will underpin all of the trends we discuss in Public Safety Technology for 2017 is FirstNet. The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) network will begin to emerge this year. The bidding is over, the paperwork and the lawyers are finishing up. Time to get down to business: providing emergency responders with the first nationwide, high-speed, broadband network dedicated to public safety.
Technology moves fast and in 2016 it moved even faster than we could’ve imagined. It’s been a great year. Along the way we have learned so many valuable lessons. We are excited to share some of them with you here as a comprehensive wrap up to the end of 2016.
Here are 5 lessons we think you will find valuable:
At Intterra, we attribute our success to the hard work of each of our individual employees. As part of our Get to Know the Team Blog Series, we interviewed our staff so that you can have the opportunity to get to know them better. We encourage you to continue reading and see what each of our employees brings to the team.
This week's spotlight is on Thomas Falk, our Data Analyst at Intterra.
Welcome to our Get to Know the Team blog series! This is your opportunity to get to know each member of the Intterra family a little bit better. This week we would like to introduce you to our software and systems developer extraordinaire, Jason Posthuma. He's been with us since October of 2015 and we wouldn't have it any other way! Jason spends most of his workday integrating new technologies into our software and making sure our customers receive the best possible version of our product. Check out his answers to a few of the questions we asked below and get to know Jason a little better.
Well, I guess we can't really tell you to stay calm. We sure aren't calm, we're really excited. Since we started in 2010, we at Intterra have been fortunate enough to achieve incredible success throughout the years. Our clients have enabled us to spread our wings and really evolve our technology. Because of this, we have been able to truly make a difference in the everyday lives of both the boots on the ground as well as the decision-making chiefs. This would not have been possible without all of you, and especially not without the U.S. Forest Service. They've given us some serious support and love over the years and we couldn't be more grateful.
So, without further ado, we are thrilled to announce that we will be continuing our partnership with them!
As part of our Get to Know the Team blog series, this week's spotlight is on Kristin Blankinship. Kristin's role at Intterra is providing the team with bookkeeping, administrative, and HR support. She has a BS in Business Management and Finance and is a total math whiz. Check out her answers to a few of the questions we asked her below and get to know Kristin a little better.
