Intterra Blog

"Wicked Good!" Oh yeah, something wicked good is coming your way from Intterra. 

The Developers (a.k.a. "the Devs") and database gurus that I work among in our tech pit here at Intterra are super jazzed.  After completing a ton of research earlier this year, they've learned new programming languages for a faster data structure and have been heads-down for weeks now building something we know you're going to appreciate. It's not just a new front-end look, it's an entirely new Intterra System Framework. 

Welcome to the second installment of our Get to Know the Team blog series. This week we're getting know our very own Wildfire Operations Chief and Program Manager, Jim Wolf. 

Had you told me 3 years ago that in 2016 I was going to be riding in the passenger’s seat to help Colorado’s experts in wildland firefighting get their hands on a new fire prediction model, I would have kind of squinted my eyes at you (that’s my puzzled look, not angry) and said, “Come again?"

For that matter, you could have said that to me in January of this year and I might have had the same response—that’s just how quickly new, cool data integrations heat up at Intterra.

We recently enjoyed a significant milestone in our joint venture with the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) to add the latest exploration into the CAWFE® model for fire prediction. That’s CAWFE®, sounds a lot like “coffee” with emphasis on the front-end “caw."  After years of research and development, NCAR and DFPC unveiled the Colorado Fire Prediction System to a group of trusted users via SituationAnalyst (SA).

Hate to break it to you, but fixing the IT problem is up to you, not to the young successors that you will promote next.

People talk about data, information, and analysis all the time. As a fire chief you have to listen, but you may not always feel comfortable with what you’re hearing. You tend to think about how hard it is to analyze data or how little control you have over the vast majority of it. Not to mention that the systems that hold this data (think CAD, Records Management, EPCR) live in other organizations like police departments and communication centers. Let’s face it, the information you need is not only hard to comprehend, but also hard to obtain. 

Welcome to Intterra's Get to Know the Team Blog Series! This is a space where every other week we put the spotlight on one of our team members and focus on not only what incredible assets they are to the company, but also what makes them tick outside of our office walls. 

Intterra is excited to announce that there are several new updates to the SituationAnalyst software. Read on to see how the newest features of SA can benefit your department this summer!

Why a Webinar Series? And why focus on Education?

We are a software company. We may be from the fire community with lots of operational experience - but we are a software company. And as we have worked across the country for the past 6 years, we know that fire departments are in all different places and all kinds of hot-messes when it comes to data.

4 reasons to focus on Education:

1. We see something you don't everyday - that you are all wrestling with the same problems, and solving them independently takes more energy, money and time than it should. We don't all have to create tactics to deal with IT issues any more than you would create all your own fire ground tactics. You collaborate, you go to class, you train and drill on the best ideas, and you work together.
2. The best tools you have are the ones you use everyday. This is true both with equipment on the engine and tools you use for technology - specifically how you choose to integrate the data you already have - and make it useful to Operations, and every other part of your agency.
3. Everyone wants to do the right thing with, they just don't all know how. It's not really fair, you signed up to fight fire, but you often fight more with spreadsheets. We think that providing top speakers and free webinars will relieve you a little bit. We will show you how to use what you've got. And how to make it easier - and how to make it mean something for outcomes.
4. Mastering the use of information and data makes the biggest difference you can make for your mission these days. You have good training, good tactics, good apparatus. But are you applying them to the right things, at the right times, with the right people the right way? Good analysis will tell you that, and good tactical tools will help you do that.

So there it is - we are creating a similar environment for learning about technology as you would look for to learn about interior firefighting or the newest EMS procedures.

But isn't the fox in the hen house?

Obvious question here: Should a tech company be bringing an educational series to the fire service? Absolutely. We're not ashamed of knowing a ton about tech, and sharing what we know. Also, you know the Fire Service is small - and if we were using the webinars to just sell our software, or if we were doing bad business with Fire Departments around the U.S., you would know it and pass it on. 

The fact is that we are proud to be in the the Fire Service, and we are really proud of our product. And we know that because we do a good job, bring value, make you successful - that the people that will tell you about our software are your buddies from other departments. Or call around, you'll find out about us.

So - That frees up a little bit of our time to give back, to educate, to introduce you to each other, and to move the Fire Service with it's patchwork of technology solutions forward. Technology should be easier. There is a road map. And Fire Departments need to find ways for everyone in the organization to benefit from it everyday.

Intterra is serious about emergency management. Our cloud-based software, SITUATIONANALYST (SA), is now the leading fire management application in the industry. SITUATIONANALYST provides an overview of live operations, planning, and public information right on your mobile device. SITUATIONANALYST also allows you to communicate more efficiently in order to deliver the utmost protection to your community. SA has provided invaluable benefits to California, Montana, and yes, even the U.S. Forest Service.

Nothing gets the Intterra team more excited than hearing about your accomplishments. That's why we've decided to dedicate a monthly blog post that's all about you! Below you will find just a few of the many inspiring ways SA users are making some major moves. Use this space to ask questions, collaborate on ideas or just give a fellow department a virtual high five!