Cherry Hill Fire Department Earned Class 1 ISO Rating; TargetSolutions Will Help the Agency Keep It

Resources

June 14, 2017

Resource: Blog Industry: Fire, Public Safety
Tags: Fire, Performance Optimization

When the Cherry Hill Fire Department in the Cherry Hill Township of New Jersey received a Class 1 fire department ISO rating – the highest possible classification achievement for such an entity – it knew keeping it would be easier said than done. Simply reaching that elusive mark was a monumental task that took countless amounts of man hours and money to organize all of the documentation that was required.

That’s why the department turned to TargetSolutions. When all was said and done, one of the momentous benefits of implementing such a platform is simplifying otherworldly challenges, such as ISO audits, into straightforward everyday tasks.

Just talk to Lieutenant William Riess, who regularly champions modern methods to track and manage fire department records and found TargetSolutions and its ISO Training Tracker to be the answer.

“That was the selling point. We know what we went through,” said Riess when recalling all the work that went into earning the Class 1. “All of what we just went through is alleviated by going with TargetSolutions.”

Manned by a force of 200 firefighters, EMTs, and civilian support staff, Cherry Hill Fire Department provides round-the-clock service to more than 70,000 residents and 4,000 businesses. Beginning with a trial of the platform last September, the department made TargetSolutions its official training management software this past January and hasn’t looked back.

“We were using about a dozen different programs to capture what TargetSolutions does for us in one,” said Riess. “The feedback across the department is that they love the program. It’s taken less time out of their day.”

“It’s empowering to a degree where it gives back to the workers that it’s their training. It doesn’t come from the department. It doesn’t have to. It allows them more opportunities to be creative.”

Since implementing the platform, Cherry Hill hasn’t been shy about maximizing the numerous abilities of the system. Customizing content, tracking various training and instructor documentation, and employing a barrage of credentials are just a few of the features that Cherry Hill routinely capitalizes on. “When I sold this program to our chiefs, I said this program right now is a 10. What I think we’ll be able to accomplish in the first year or two is a three. That alone is where we already were as an ISO 1 department.” said Riess. “We can not only maintain that, but we can surpass the level of being a Class 1 department and improve our tracking documentation.”

Riess is currently serving as an administrator for the Burlington County Regional Training Alliance (BCRTA), an enterprise group focused on bringing regional departments together in an effort to simplify training and embrace camaraderie. As has been his experience with TargetSolutions thus far, Riess wants to promote the notion of maximizing the platform for every member of the Alliance as a way to best serve their communities. As Riess has powered through the various platform features since last year, he is confident in what the Alliance will provide to the region.

“I know this is going to work,” he said.

See what else customers are saying about TargetSolutions and what more the platform can do for you. To learn more about how you can improve your fire department ISO rating, please contact us with any questions at (800) 840-8048.

Want to Know More?

Reach out and a Vector Solutions representative will respond back to help answer any questions you might have.

Contact Us