A call comes in to respond to an accident on the interstate. A fuel tanker has overturned and is leaking fuel on to the highway. Your engine is called to the scene to assess the situation, provide medical attention and contain the spill. In addition, the State Highway Patrol and local EMS have been dispatched. There are a lot of activities happening all at once.
With all of those activities happening at once, it’s possible to miss details of your account of what happened on-scene. Even worse, your brain can play tricks on you by making up certain details or accounts of what’s happened. This is not uncommon which is even more concerning for first responders.
According to a study conducted at the University of California, Irvine, two groups of subjects were asked about the events of 9/11. One group had a normal memories and the other had highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM). Both groups were mentioned, in passing, that the footage of United 93 crashing in the field in Shanksville, PA was disturbing. But no footage existed of the event. Later, when asked about the events, 1 in 5 from each group seem to recall witnessing the footage, proving that memory distortion can happen to anyone.
Memory distortion is a challenge all of us face. It can affect our short term and long term memory. So when it comes to making an accurate account of an incident, it’s critical that we get the information as soon as possible and use a tool to assist us so we are not caught in a moment of uncertainty.
Collecting data on-scene and recording it immediately is the only sure way to get an accurate account of an event. Today, it is easier than ever to collect that data for incident or NFIRS reports on a mobile device like an iPad. More and more fire departments across the country are using mobile devices and wearable technology to assist firefighters with recording details on-scene.
One such solution comes from Innovapad. We offer a mobile application, for the Apple iPad, that enables a member of your engine to collect data on-scene and have their reports ready for the Chief faster than ever before. Now you can send accurate incident reports with your claim to the responsible party’s insurance company. You could even start your NFIRS report on-scene. This saves the fire department time and energy from administrative tasks and keeping you at ready for the next alarm.
To learn more please, contact us for a demonstration.