County Receives Award for Foxtrot Fire App

County Receives Award for Foxtrot Fire App

The California State Association of Counties (CSAC) awarded Tulare County with a 2017 Challenge Award honoring the work of the Information Communications & Technology and County Fire Departments in the development of the Foxtrot Fire App.

The CSAC Challenge Award program seeks to honor the most innovative ways of doing business across all county service areas in California. CSAC received a record 288 entries for this year’s Challenge Awards and Tulare County was awarded one of the program’s top honors in the area of Government Finance, Administration and Technology.

Project Foxtrot Fire App is a digital mobile app that allows the Tulare County Fire Department to access an essential database of geographical information previously collected by individual site visits and recorded in notebooks by hand. With the Foxtrot Fire App, firefighters today can use the application that relies on Geographical Information System (GIS) data to augment existing data. This allows firefighters to access vital information while on route to an emergency call and better plan for the necessary emergency response.

In addition, firefighters can better implement coordination planning, staffing needs and any necessary equipment. The app also allows for approximately 4,000 Tulare County homes to be remotely evaluated for fire protection and prevention status bringing a whole new level of public safety to the area.

By using existing GIS data rather than individual site visits, the Foxtrot Fire App has saved Tulare County more than 1,000 work hours. This could not have been done without a large amount of time, energy and dedication from TCiCT and TC Fire whose excellent teamwork made this app possible.

“The app is a perfect example of how local governments can use innovation and collaboration between departments to provide safety and effective program delivery to all County residents,” stated Graham Knaus. Deputy Executive Director of Operations and Member Services at CSAC who presented the Challenge Award during the October 31 Board of Supervisors Meeting.

The Foxtrot Fire App was developed collaboratively by Matt Sanders (TCiCT), Mark Clark (TCiCT), Division Chief Jeff McLaughlin (TCFD), and Fire Battalion Chief Kevin Riggi (TCFD).

Congratulations!