Keep Preplans Fresh and Relevant

We all understand the value of preplans on effective mitigation and overall safety, but have you ever wondered why such a widely accepted ‘standard practice’ is so commonly under used?   There are many explanations why we haven't done better, but there are many more and powerful reasons why we should.   With a renewed commitment to better planning for the safety of your community and firefighters, you may now begin to see that there are many ways around the barriers that were holding you back.  In this first article, we’ll explore strategies for keeping preplans fresh and relevant. 

Commit to annual site visits (preplan-inspections).  Set alerts to remind you what preplan-type inspections are due on a specific day, week, month or quarter.   Remember, you should also maintain records of preplan visits for your evaluations (ISO/ACC). 

A Continuous Quality Control process will help identify unexpected inconsistencies.  Start with your highest risk assets (target hazards), checking to be sure they have the most relevant preplan features (building/systems, tasks/strategies, etc).  With technology, you can easily identify and resolve unexpected inconsistencies in your preplan information or in the Site's features. 

Develop risk mitigation strategies especially for high risk Sites.  Often “preplans” are thought-of as drawings.  Not everyone has the skill or the tools to draft a preplan drawing.  TODAY however, preplanning is so much more than a simple drawing.  Now anyone can contribute valuable observations or develop action plans for certain circumstances.   You’re not going to be able to account for every possible variable, but you certainly can start to build strategies for managing varieties of incidents at a specific site. 

Integrate live preplans into your training and table-top exercises to maintain a high level of awareness.   There’s no doubt you’ll find areas where you can improve your preplans through this activity

Make them a part of your daily activity.  Some departments showcase a site or even a category of sites each week, while others have included a site briefing as part of their daily regimen.   

Community Involvement helps to ensure the most accurate information is always available, while also keeping fire safety at the forefront of their routine.  Employ fire explorers or hire interns to call building owners and simply confirm the accuracy of important information, ask critical questions, and empower them to educate the community how to be proactive in alerting the fire department about changes or updates to contact/property information. 

And finally (most importantly)....  Select a solution that minimizes the administrative effort, helps you remain disciplined in maintaining accurate and up-to-date information, and capably organizes/presents the information for consumption under pressure.  

Your team at Infinite Command employs decades of direct public safety experience, thousands of hours of observation and refinement, and the most advanced and accepted technology practices available today.  We've simplified nearly every aspect of preplan management, we know how to make this work for you, and we can do it cost effectively.  Call now, and mention this article for a special offer.