The National Mutual Aid System (NMAS) partnership today announced the launch of the new NMAS, an emergency resource management system where all users can access cutting-edge technology to request, geospatially locate and strategically deploy response resources. The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), Juvare, and Esri have been working since the fall of 2017 to build NMAS to serve state and local governments throughout the U.S.
Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) departments are encouraged to participate in a Facebook Go-Live Launch on Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. EST to learn how they can join the NMAS community.
The IAFC has consistently provided support for state and local fire departments and EMS communities managing disaster response and recovery. The existing Mutual Aid Net has been used throughout the United States to identify, request and deploy resources for mutual aid support. The new NMAS will use the latest technology to accomplish these tasks faster, easier and more accurately.
“This is a technological breakthrough for the fire and emergency response service,” said Chief Dan Eggleston, IAFC president and chairman of the board. “The new NMAS takes mutual aid to the next level, creating a system where all users can access cutting-edge technology to request, geospatially locate, and strategically deploy response resources.”
NMAS is served through WebEOC and the ArcGIS Extension for WebEOC, which provides access to and integration with Esri’s powerful online tools and dashboards. As a result, this integration provides the superior data availability of WebEOC information within ArcGIS online applications, without requiring any development, middleware, or technical expertise.
“In these emergency situations, it is critical that response personnel have access to a simple, yet comprehensive mutual aid system for managing resources. WebEOC helps responders communicate more effectively, share important information, generate event reports and manage a range of tasks in one, centralized, web-based environment. These benefits allow the IAFC to connect partner agencies and disparate organizations during response efforts effortlessly,” said Patrick Lane, Vice President Professional Services, Juvare.
The use of Esri’s ArcGIS provides an unparalleled opportunity to securely and efficiently share geo-enabled resources across the country to pinpoint where resources are located and their availability. WebGIS enables NMAS to share data on resources faster and in a common language that can be shared across other systems. It provides the ability to manage data with a visual perspective that easily communicates the resource status during a response. It also allows public safety officials to analyze multiple datasets to determine how these incidents will impact citizens, infrastructure, and the environment.
For more information, please contact the NMAS staff.
Read more at the International Association of Fire Chiefs
