A first-of-its-kind app is improving emergency response
WALTHAM—Firefighters and police officers in Massachusetts responding to an emergency can now take photos of infrastructure damage with their smartphones and send them immediately to National Grid employees. That will help National Grid respond more efficiently with the right employees and equipment to fix the problem, Joseph Gilliard, manager of Gas Emergency Planning for National Grid, told American Gas.
National Grid’s First Responder App is the first of its kind in the United States, according to a news release. Gilliard said the company was approached by members of a few fire departments in Massachusetts a couple of years ago, asking if they could provide pictures to utility employees so they would be better informed on emerging events that were occurring. This request prompted National Grid to start working with app developer iRestore. After development and several months of testing, the First Responder app launched in Massachusetts. Following a successful launch, the company expanded the app to additional territories in Rhode Island and New York.
In addition to sending one or two pictures of an emergency event, the app also geo-locates the photos on a map and prefills information about the person sending the picture. There are options that allow the addition of comments or other pertinent information.
The app will not be used for natural gas line leaks, but it can be used to send photos of pipeline or meter damage, or a fire close to a critical facility such as a regulator station, Gilliard said.
The company always performs an after-action review to see what lessons were learned, according to Gilliard.
“We really listen and work to enhance our communications capabilities,” he said. “Being prepared for emergencies is really important to National Grid.”
Ware Fire Department Chief Thomas Coulombe said that the department is excited about the rollout.
“We were pleased to help National Grid provide first responders with such a great app that will help to swiftly transfer the needed information on what resources are needed on the scene,” he said. “By providing real-time scene information quickly and easily, first responders can focus on other duties that may be required to assure the scene is restored to normal as soon as possible.”