Kentucky Fire Commission Reimagines Statewide Compliance with Acadis

Kentucky has over 740 fire departments, and more than 600 are volunteer. The Kentucky Fire Commission oversees firefighter training, certification, and compliance. With different annual training compliance and funding eligibility requirements for career vs. volunteer departments, efficient training tracking is essential. The Commission uses the Acadis^® Readiness Suite, a configurable and comprehensive system, to meet its training, certification, and online testing needs.

“With so many departments, it’s crucial we have a centralized database to manage our funding and make sure people are correctly qualified,” shared the director of operations.

Simplifying Complex Compliance Processes

In Kentucky, volunteer firefighters must complete 20 hours of training each year, while career members need 100 hours annually. The Commission offers volunteer departments various grants, including thermal imaging and training facility grants. At least 50% of a department’s members must meet the training requirements to qualify. Career firefighters can also qualify for additional financial incentives.

Before Acadis, the Kentucky Fire Commission relied on various systems for data management and paper-based processes, which were not integrated. Acadis delivered a unified, modern solution, bringing certification and compliance data together in one place.

With the help of Acadis, the Fire Commission is able to:

• Let department admins enter training in Acadis through a custom “KY Fires” portal, which state staff can access in real time.
• Run a report on volunteer departments and career firefighters to validate participation percentages for funding and determine allowance eligibility.
• Quickly address questions from departments on compliance status to ensure deadlines are met.
• Provide portal access to department leaders for personnel insights and training planning, and to individual firefighters to stay on top of compliance.
• Easily produce rosters and certificates of attendance, categorized by specific recertification requirements, for audits and reviews.

“The fact that each individual firefighter can conduct their own compliance tracking really helps,” reported the director of training. “It’s a great benefit that we didn’t not have in prior data management systems.”

Automating Training Submissions from Departments to the State

Kentucky is gaining further efficiencies by launching AgencyConnect, the only solution that automates training submissions from local departments to the state’s system. With AgencyConnect, the Kentucky Fire Commission is able to eliminate data fragmentation with seamless data transmission and gain real-time training insights.

“Other programs people used to export training information were clunky and had glitches because the platforms weren’t compatible,” said the director of operations. “Using the TargetSolutions connection through AgencyConnect to our Acadis system makes it even more seamless, where we’re not having to go back and figure out how hours are missing or account for hours.”

User-Friendly System Scalable for Future Efficiency

While Acadis is an incredibly powerful and highly configurable system, it is also easy for administrators to learn and navigate without extensive training. “The interface is very user-friendly,” shared the director of operations. “You can search by person or department and find what you need quickly.”

The intuitive design allows state staff to save valuable time while avoiding common frustrations often associated with more complex data tools. With support from a knowledgeable and responsive support team, the Fire Commission is confident in its ongoing success as it rolls out additional efficiencies powered by Acadis.