Client Wins From July 13

Mt. Gilead Fire Department Selects OnSite ERT: It's a problem every fire chief and safety officer knows all too well: how can you keep track of all of your responders throughout the incident? Is your haz-mat specialist on scene yet, and if so, where is she now? If there is an evacuation, how can you be sure that everyone made it out? When a firefighter becomes trapped, you have just minutes to rescue them, but if they escape safely and were simply overlooked in the confusion, you're sending a rescue team on a useless but extremely dangerous mission. What's the cost of guessing wrong? The Mt. Gilead, Ohio Fire Department is solving this problem by implementing OnSite ERT, tracking technology from Ann Arbor-based ERT Systems LLC. The system will replace the department's former, less reliable tools used to determine crew status and locations during emergencies. Purchased in part with funds from an Assistance to Firefighters grant, the Mt. Gilead Fire Department will put OnSite ERT into service at emergency scenes starting this summer. The technology uses a combination of lightweight ID tags, portable drop readers and incident command software to offer a clear, real-time view of on-scene personnel and their current locations -- all from the screen of a laptop. The brain child of retired Fire Commander John Ellis and technology expert Dennis Carmichael, OnSite ERT is a portable and rapidly deployable system for tracking and monitoring first responders and equipment for the duration of an emergency event. Designed specifically to meet the unique needs of firefighters, the product is gaining traction among fire departments nationwide, already in use by over 50 departments across the United States and Canada, with more on the horizon. OnSite ERT has also proven beneficial for use in mutual aid and combined response events, streamlining operations, and improving post-incident reporting and performance analysis. The system tracks and records all on-scene activity, which helps departments comply with federal rules and regulations to further limit legal risks in the event of a tragedy. For more information, go to www.OnSiteERT.com or call (734) 327-9532.

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