Full Case Study
The Agency
Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue (TVF&R) provides fire protection and emergency medical services to nearly 520,000 residents across approximately 390 square miles in one of the fastest growing regions in Oregon. The District provides services to portions of four counties and includes 11 cities. From the snow-packed peak of Mt. Hood to the depths of the Willamette River, the area encompasses densely populated suburbs, rural farmlands, retail and commercial establishments, and growing industrial complexes.
The Challenge
Prior to creating preplans in Intterra, TVF&R had a vendor that visited commercial sites that the department had targeted for preplanning, and that vendor created line drawings in a simplified CAD program. Each station or fire marshal would be assigned to audit the individual preplan and ensure the details were correct. If the required changes were minor, they’d be done in-house. If there were extensive changes, the audit would go back to the vendor. Once the changes were verified and the responsible party (RP) information was checked, a static PDF of the plan would be loaded to the mobile data computers (MDCs).
Because the process was time consuming, changes were slow and many preplans were not up-to-date. TVF&R needed to find a method for creating preplans that was faster to implement, easier to update, and quicker to access so that first responders could more confidently trust them in an emergency.
The Old Way
- Create Electronic PDF
- Upload Preplans to Server
The Solution
TVF&R implemented Intterra for preplanning in order to solve the manual process that was causing delays and inaccuracies. The busy fire agency was able to change its workflow to one that allowed personnel to quickly and easily update preplans, as well as make those preplans immediately available to the entire crew.
As part of onboarding the new solution, all of TVF&R’s existing preplans were loaded into Intterra. Now TVF&R operations crews and inspectors are able to access those preplans in the field with full editing capabilities. Every time a firefighter is en route to a call, they pull up Intterra to view that structure’s preplan. Once the call is complete, the firefighter is able to make any required updates to the preplan in the Intterra app. In the exact same software, and in real-time, fire inspectors can check preplans and verify their accuracy while out on an inspection.
The Intterra Structure Preplan workspace provides TVF&R with an application that allows them to quickly create and update preplans that are detailed, easy to use, and available whenever they need them. Best of all, preplans are no longer static.
The Impact
TVF&R’s team now has better intel on every call. TVF&R’s preplans have been made more accurate by using Intterra’s Preplan add/edit service to eliminate duplicate historic update notes and adjust the locations of preplan features to areas that have been confirmed to be correct by the use of imagery and basemaps. This means that TVF&R is better able to serve their community by empowering firefighters and inspectors with modern technology-based tools that allow them to create accurate, dynamic, and up-to-date preplans.
With more accurate preplans, EMS personnel and firefighters can more effectively respond to any incident. Knowing the exact, current location of gas shutoff valves, stairwells, apartment units, elevators, hydrants and other important features means less risk, less damage, and faster resolution of calls. All of this adds up to better serving the communities fire agencies protect.
