NEWSLETTER

December 2008

● Symposium’s Newest Client Goes Live, Serving 78 Departments across New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts (UPDATE - New Symposium Installation Undergoes Trial by Ice – Dispatching During the Ice Storm of 2008)

● Symposium Launches New Open Source Wiki Project, Boosts Collaboration and Feedback among Public Safety Professionals

Southwestern New Hampshire District Fire Mutual Aid; One of the Largest of its Kind in North America

Difficulty finding a system up to the job

Up until recently dispatchers had been forced to handle this highly complex process manually, as no computer system had the flexibility and sophistication required to dispatch the detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that form the backbone of the district’s response process.

“This was a huge challenge for us”, said SWNHFMA Director Phil Tirrell, “because of the size of the territory we cover, the number of departments, and the complex mutual aid agreements involved, we felt we could benefit from a computer aided dispatch system. But until we were introduced to Symposium, we simply couldn’t find a system that had what it took to get the job done”.

Enter Symposium – The flexibility they needed, and much, much more

Symposium’s EME CAD was built from the ground up to handle the needs of multiple agencies sharing one dispatch, including full-time, composite and volunteer departments. While this flexibility was crucial to the Southwest New Hampshire project, there was much more. In addition to integrating the district’s SOP’s, each department’s call types, response rules, all the mapping for the tri-state area, and a host of other client-specific data, the new system also features full two-way integration with 76 separate FIREHOUSE® RMS installations and full in-vehicle mobile data, featuring mapping, GPS, real-time two-way access to FIREHOUSE®.

According to Tirrell, “Before we got Symposium there was no way to leverage the data everyone had collected in FIREHOUSE®. Now, all the premise, pre-fire and other info the inspectors have gathered across the district is available in the CAD. This makes a huge difference to our response, and the dispatchers and firefighters love it.”

The best system AND the best installation

Tying all this together to deliver improved speed, safety and effectiveness is the end result, but it’s not by any stretch the entire story - the district was equally impressed by the quick and easy implementation. According to Dispatch Supervisor Bonnie Johnson, “We were entirely on paper, because no other company had been able to automate our workflows, let alone tie in the RMS. Symposium has provided an amazing solution, but we’re equally delighted with the installation process - everything from customization to training to going live in less than six months, with a transformative effect on our operations. We couldn’t be more pleased.”  

Another successful solution, another satisfied client

For its part, Symposium couldn’t be more pleased to have yet another happy and satisfied client on board, and to have brought such a large and complicated dispatch center live in such a short period. As Robert Day of Symposium puts it: “Southwest New Hampshire combines in one package just about all the dispatch challenges that are facing public safety agencies – a large diverse area, many departments, high call volume, complex response rules, and multiple integrations. Not to mention they were transitioning from a paper-based dispatch to a fully automated state-of-the-art system. These are all challenges our solutions were designed to meet, and to do so in such a large and complex situation so quickly is truly rewarding.” 

From Strength to Strength

Going forward, Symposium will continue building on SWNHMA’s success, delivering continued system customization and expanding the mobile data capability. In the meantime, the district’s achievements are being noted by departments throughout the greater area, and interest is high. 

Director Phil Tirrell

Client React Enthusiastically to New Virtual User Group

What separates good technology from bad is how well it lets users share information. But what separates great technology from the merely good is how well it helps users to share real knowledge. Symposium’s new WikEME project (located on the web at www.symposium911.info) is yet another example of how Symposium uses innovative technology to facilitate knowledge sharing among public safety professionals. Based on the popular Wiki format (the same as that underlying the massive “Wikipedia” online encyclopedia), the Symposium Technologies WikiEME provides clients and other public safety professionals with a participatory collaborative forum for sharing suggestions, questions, best practices, and experiences.

Groundbreaking Use of Wiki Technology in Public Safety

The WikiEME appears to be among the first applications of Wiki technology to public safety. Among the many things that makes the WikiEME uniquely useful is its open design, where anyone can browse through and check out the extensive and detailed resources. As a rule, most companies closely guard workflows, specs, and even screenshots. In the WikiEME however, all this and more is readily available.

According to Tom Reed, one of the prime developers behind the WikiEME, Symposium’s different approach is very much intentional. “When someone comes to the WikiEME, be it a potential client or even a competitor, we want to provide an opportunity to really understand the work we do and the approach we take. We’ve built our success on open communication and collaboration with the public safety community, and the WikiEME greatly expands our ability to share ideas and solicit feedback. In the end it’s a win-win – public safety professionals get a much more detailed idea of their options, we get even more useful feedback, and ultimately the quality of available technology solutions will be even further improved.”

Individualized, “Always On” Service and Support

Another unique aspect of the WikiEME which is unique is the customized client knowledge base, wherein each Symposium client gets their own page containing all the technical details of their particular installation, as well as the individualized support questions related to their agency. “This has turned out to be a really great resource”, according to Dave Hayes of Norwood, Massachusetts Fire. “If staff have a question on our CAD or Mobile Data they can log on and review all the past questions and answers. If their question is new, they simply add it - Symposium staff always get back in short order with a detailed reply. It’s great for us because all the information is in one centralized protected space, it’s specific to our needs, and it’s always being updated. It’s an amazing training tool, and cuts down dramatically on the time eaten up in answering the same question over and over. And on top of it all, it really helps personnel feel their input is important.”

Alan Bowles of Yarmouth Fire in Massachusetts highlights other important aspects of the system. “We get to submit functionality suggestions, see what other departments are requesting, learn about what other departments are experiencing, and make new connections. It’s like an always-on user group conference. To have this kind of resource at our fingertips is invaluable.”

Continually Expanding and Evolving Resource

The WikiEME continues to develop - content continues expanding, and new sections are being added regularly. Going forward, Symposium has plans to make the site even more interactive, with an enhanced section for system help files, expanded forums, as well as RSS feeds that let users incorporate live-time site updates directly into their browser and mail programs.

In all cases, the site will continue to enhance public safety professionals’ ability to develop, transfer, and share knowledge, and to provide meaningful feedback on how we can improve our systems and solutions. The WikiEME - just another example of how Symposium is using innovative technology to ensure the very best experience and outcomes for our clients and partners.

Next Issue

More contract announcements, new system enhancements, and lots of other great stuff!

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