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Archive for May, 2014

Maintain Comprehensive Records of Firefigher Inspections and Assessments with TargetSolutions

 

Does your organization conduct mandatory inspections and assessments that need to be tracked? Odds are there is something – whether it is a playground examination, a fire apparatus check, a type of inventory, or a building inspection – that requires routine analysis.
With TargetSolutions you can utilize ready-made electronic tracking forms that can be easily imported into your site – or create your own from scratch – assign them to personnel, monitor completions and generate comprehensive reports. TargetSolutions’ recordkeeping applications are built to streamline the entire firefighter inspections management process.
“If you’re responsible for managing inventory or maintaining a facility, and you need to collect information, TargetSolutions features powerful tracking tools for capturing that data,” said TargetSolutions Strategic Risk Business Unit Manager Kelly Zielinski. “The system is built to track everything critical to your organization. You don’t need to file stacks of paper anymore.”
If you have any questions about tracking firefighter inspections and/or assessment with TargetSolutions, please contact us today at (800) 840-8048.
Record Firefigher InspectionsRecords of Firefigher Inspections
One of TargetSolutions’ most popular pre-built assessments is the Accident-Incident Report Form. This activity allows organizations to capture info on an accident for general liability. TargetSolutions also features pre-built activities for inspecting playgrounds, administrative areas, fire extinguishers, vehicles, and many fire department inspections, including SCBA, PPE, hose testing, etc.

TargetSolutions to Demonstrate Online Risk Management Platform at PRIMA

Are you attending PRIMA’s Annual Conference? If you’re headed to Long Beach for the event June 8-11, please stop by booth No. 137 and say hello to TargetSolutions’ National Sales Executive Jason Finley.
Finley will be demonstrating how the industry’s leading risk management platform is helping public entities across the country prevent losses with online safety training.
“PRIMA is a great opportunity to show the industry’s risk managers and safety officers how TargetSolutions works. TargetSolutions features the industry’s most comprehensive web-based catalog of safety training, including courses for OSHA, sexual harassment, driver safety, and much more. This training can change unsafe behavior and help reduce liability.”
Jason Finley, National Sales Executive with TargetSolutions
Finley is excited to meet new individuals looking to learn more about the platform, as well as clients who are already reaping the benefit of TargetSolutions’ online courses, innovative technology applications, and world-class customer service.
One client, County of Shasta California, reported tremendous financial benefits after implementing TargetSolutions’ online training management system. Risk Management Analyst Jonathan Hill of Shasta County reports injuries have dropped 30 percent since the county implemented TargetSolutions.
“We attribute much of the savings to TargetSolutions,” Hill said. “If you look at the participation and the decrease in injuries and the costs savings, you can see the evidence is there that TargetSolutions helped save us money. We don’t see any way around it.”
For more information on TargetSolutions, please contact us today at (800) 840-8048.
About TargetSolutions
TargetSolutions provides cutting-edge technology, engaging online training courses and world-class customer service. As the leading provider of online safety training for public entities, TargetSolutions enables organizations to maintain compliance, reduce losses, deliver curriculum, and track all tasks, certifications and training activities.

TargetSolutions to Present Industry’s Leading Online Fire Training System at New York State Association of Fire Chiefs’ FIRE 2014 Expo

TargetSolutions is pleased to exhibit June 11-14 at the New York State Association of Fire Chiefs’ FIRE 2014 Expo. Please stop by booth No. 2325 and meet Regional Sales Manager David Fulmer, who will be demonstrating the benefits of TargetSolutions’ online fire training management system.
With more than 250 hours of Fire and EMS recertification courses, including more than 60 hours of valuable NFPA training and certified credentials for the four levels of EMS providers recognized by the New York State Department of Health (EMT, AEMT, AEMT Critical Care, Paramedic), TargetSolutions is an excellent resource for achieving compliance.
TargetSolutions’ credential tracking tool links courses to the divisions and required hours set by the DOH, and includes topics like airway management, pediatric, trauma, preparatory, and operations. EMS agencies or departments with a CME agreement may fulfill 100 percent of their recertification requirement through TargetSolutions.
As the industry’s leader in online fire training management, TargetSolutions is the ultimate technology for thousands of organizations across the country. One of those clients is New York’s Bethpage Fire Department, which has experienced tremendous improvements in its training program since implementing TargetSolutions in November of 2008, according to Joseph Minogue, Chairman–Board of Fire Commissioners.
“Before we started using TargetSolutions, it was tough to get everyone’s annual training documentation filed without missing something,” Minogue said. “TargetSolutions makes everything easy to document and pull out. It’s a great management tool to make sure everyone is staying on top of his/her training. … TargetSolutions offers a convenient, cost-effective method for recordkeeping and getting training messages out.”
For more information on TargetSolutions’ online training management system, please contact us today at (800) 840-8048.
About TargetSolutions
TargetSolutions provides cutting-edge technology, engaging online training courses and world-class customer service. As the leading provider of online fire training for emergency responders, TargetSolutions enables organizations to maintain compliance, reduce losses, deliver curriculum, and track all station-level tasks, certifications and training activities.

 

Upcoming Events

CONFERENCES & TRADE SHOWS

PARMA | Indian Wells, Calif.
Feb. 23-26 | Booth No. 316
More Information

VA Fire Chiefs | Virginia Beach, Va.
Feb. 24-28 | Booth No. 56
More Information

EMS Today | Baltimore, Md.
Feb. 25-27 | Booth No. 2922
More Information

Texas Police Chiefs | Austin, Texas
March 21-24

North Texas Police Chiefs | Highland Village, Texas
March 30
More Information

SW Division of the IAFC Conference
April 7-8

FDIC | Indianapolis
April 18-23 | Booth No. 13026
More Information

New Overdue Assignments Report Highlights TargetSolutions’ Latest Enhancements

Platform managers with a desire for more control over reports are going to love the latest series of enhancements to TargetSolutions’ Generate Reports application. Updates have been made to make the online training management system’s reporting functionality even more powerful, efficient and intuitive.
Here are the key reporting upgrades from TargetSolutions’ May product release:
New Overdue Assignments Report: This new report was built to make it easier to run data on overdue assignments, eliminating the hassle of using the Incomplete Assignment report to find information on late assignments. Previously you would need to filter through assignments that were incomplete, but not overdue. To solve this issue, TargetSolutions removed the overdue filter in the Incomplete Assignments report and built a brand new Overdue Assignments report.
“Removing the overdue filter in the Incomplete Assignments report makes it easier for clients to understand the primary use for that report – to find scheduled assignments that are not yet due,” said TargetSolutions Product Manager Misty Pratt, “The Overdue Assignments report will provide a quick and easy way to find the delinquent assignments that warrant action.”
To facilitate one-click reporting, a new type of filter was developed for the Overdue Assignment report.
“This new report really simplifies the user experience,” Pratt said. “The default filter option gives you all assignments more than one day overdue. In other words, without changing anything, you can get a quick report of all overdue assignments and nothing else.”
Of course, more advanced filtering is available, but with options that are more straightforward (see screenshot below).
If an assignment is more than a day overdue, the overdue column will display a full day value, rounded down. So if an assignment is 47 hours overdue, it will show as one day overdue. In cases where assignments are less than a day overdue, the report will display hours, rather than days.
Credential Selection Dropdown: The single select credential dropdown menu is now searchable for the Credential Summary and Credential Exception reports. In the past, some may have found it difficult to navigate the dropdown menu. Now, finding the information you need is quicker and more efficient.
“Clients with a large numbers of credentials will really appreciate this update,” Pratt said. “In the past, without knowing the category in which a credential was located, it was time consuming to scroll through potentially hundreds of reports. Now, these credentials can be searched, making them easier to locate and saving valuable time.”
Search functionality on the Credential Summary and Credential Exemption reports will make finding specific reports more efficient.
Addition of Certain Data Columns for Specific Reports: More options have been added in the Credential Information Columns in the Credential Exception and Credential Summary reports. The added selections give platform managers the ability to gather all relevant data for recordkeeping purposes.

With Limited Resources, Small District McKinleyville Is Maximizing Its Training Program with TargetSolutions

McKinleyville Community Service DistrictMcKinleyville Community Service District in Northern California is responsible for more than 5,300 active water services and 4,400 sewer connections. Its mission is to provide the area’s 15,000-plus residents safe and reliable water, wastewater, street lighting, open space, and parks and recreation in an environmentally and fiscally responsible manner.
With 28 employees using TargetSolutions online training management system, the District has logged more than 500 training hours (online courses and Custom Activities) and utilized 34 different credentials to track everything from Water and Wastewater continuing education to ethics awareness and in-house training events.
For McKinleyville, it’s TargetSolutions’ three “Cs” that standout most: Customization of Credentials, Continuing Education and Customer Service. These three factors have led to huge success, according to Leadman Erik Jones.
Credentials Management
Approximately 25 percent of McKinleyville’s employees require certifications in water distribution, water treatment, wastewater treatment, backflow prevention, and playground safety inspection.
“Prior to TargetSolutions, credential tracking consisted of unorganized spreadsheets,” Jones said. “Now, we are able to consolidate all information into one area within the platform. It’s now simple to check and see if all employees are current.”
Generating reports to pinpoint employee training records and monitor compliance is more efficient with TargetSolutions, Jones said. Whether it is first aid training, HAZWOPER training, or anything else, TargetSolutions’ credential-tracking application streamlines the process.
Continuing Education
With McKinleyville being isolated along Humboldt County’s coast, training opportunities are less frequent than in larger metropolitan areas. The ability to utilize TargetSolutions’ extensive course library featuring more than 60 CEUs for water operators for mandatory CEUs is crucial to this special district. Jones said the district also finds value in TargetSolutions’ online safety training courses, including driver safety, sexual harassment awareness, and more.
Online training in tandem with job-specific learning tracks ensures employees are on track for certification. Supervisors can print certificates to deliver to the state and supervisors can scan certificates directly into an employee’s credential for recordkeeping.
“TargetSolutions saves us money and time,” Jones said. “With online training available 24/7, this is a huge cost savings for us. We really appreciate the flexibility that TargetSolutions provides us in meeting our training needs.”
Client Services
TargetSolutions is focused on helping clients like McKinleyville improve efficiencies. Through monthly webinars or general inquiries, friendly representatives are ready to assist, which helps McKinleyville get the most out of the platform.
“We’ve dealt with other vendors before and haven’t gotten the kind of friendly response that TargetSolutions gives,” Jones said.  “They are responsive and very willing to help.  With the ability to track all manner of training and certifications, TargetSolutions gives small, isolated districts like ours the same resources available to more metropolitan organizations.”
About TargetSolutions
TargetSolutions delivers cutting-edge software applications, engaging online training courses and world-class customer service. The company was founded in 1999 and today there are more than 2,000 organizations across the country using TargetSolutions’ innovative technology to solve their training challenges.

TargetSolutions’ RT-130: Wildland Fire Safety Refresher Course Updated for 2014

Last week’s fires in Southern California showed us the 2014 wildland fire season is upon us. Experts say this could be the most devastating year ever. To help firefighters prepare, TargetSolutions is proud to present RT-130: Wildland Fire Safety Refresher.
The four-module course has been updated to include nine new videos and timely statistical information. With a focus on topics recommended for the US National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) Annual Refresher, the course was built to provide firefighters with the fundamentals of wildland fire safety, as well as critical hazards and safety strategies for operating in the wild.
If you have any questions about TargetSolutions’ industry-leading online fire training catalog, please contact us today at (800) 840-8048.

Make Sure Credentials Are Completed on Time with TargetSolutions’ Alert Notifications

If you’re responsible for notifying employees every time an important deadline approaches, you know how difficult that task can be. With TargetSolutions’ records and information management system, the process is simplified with alerts that notify administrators, supervisors and users about important deadlines before they expire.
This feature for tracking dates can be found inside TargetSolutions’ one-of-a-kind Manage Credentials application. Alert notifications can be set up to inform key stakeholders of expiring credentials. This reminds the user about the deadline for completing the assignment on time. Alerts also provide platform managers an update that one of their users is approaching a deadline.
Photo of Managing Credential Alerts
Administrators are able to choose what the alerts will say, when the alerts will be sent out, who will receive them, and how they will be sent to the user.
It is important to note that after all requirements have been completed within a credential, alerts will no longer be generated for that user. However, a recently added option allows a one-time notification to be delivered after a user has completed all requirements for a credential. “Requirements are completed” must be selected under “When to Alert” to receive this notice.
TargetSolutions’ records and information management system features unique alert functionality to keep users and platform managers on top of deadlines.
For questions about TargetSolutions’ alert notifications or training management system, contact us today at (800) 840-8048.

10 Ways to Develop Situational Readiness and 10 Mistakes That Will Set Your Organization Back

Blog by Dr. Richard B. Gasaway, CFO, EFO, Fire Chief  (ret.)
The precursor to situational awareness is situational readiness. I define situational readiness as having the ability to anticipate what things need to be in place to be well-prepared for an emergency response; and then, taking the steps necessary to ensure those things are done in advance of the actual response.
What precisely is needed to ensure situational readiness? Here are 10 things that make a good start to the list:
Situational Readiness List
1. Hiring of the right people for the right reasons.
2. Firing the wrong people for the right reasons.
3. Developing a comprehensive program to train supervisors how to be leaders of people.
4. Building a safety culture where egos are kept in check and self-esteem is strengthened by supportive leadership.
5. Ensuring members have all the tools and equipment necessary to ensure success.
6. Ensuring members are thoroughly trained on how to use their tools and equipment.
7. Training members for success using realistic and repetitive evolutions, scenarios and simulations.
8. Ensuring the focus is first, and foremost, on the prevention of emergencies.
9. Evaluating opportunities for self-improvement following each emergency response.
10. Making small, incremental improvements over time. Avoid changing things at a pace that is faster than the organization can sustain.
Situational Non-Readiness List
Now, let’s look at the antithesis list. These are the hallmarks of organizations that are not well-prepared.
1. Hiring the wrong people for the wrong reasons.
2. Keeping poor performers whose attitude and disposition drag everyone down.
3. Doing nothing to train existing or newly promoted supervisors on how to lead people.
4. Allowing the organization to be run by leaders with big egos and low self-esteem.
5. Denying the members the tools and equipment to be successful.
6. Withholding the training on how to effectively use their tools and equipment.
7. Training in unrealistic ways. Taking shortcuts and just going through the motions or doing no training at all.
8. Focusing entirely on suppression/response and ignoring prevention.
9. Ignoring the lessons from mistakes made at emergencies.
10. Making no improvements or trying to make major improvements quickly so the organization is set-up to frustration and failure.
Compare the lists and decide for yourself. Does your organization have situational readiness?
About the Author
Dr. Gasaway is widely considered one of the nation’s leading authorities on situational awareness and the human factors that complicate first responder decision making. In addition to his 30-plus year career in the fire service, including 22 years as a fire chief, Dr. Gasaway has a second passion: Uncovering and applying research in brain science for the benefit of first responders. His website, Situational Awareness Matters (www.SAMatters.com) welcomes 50,000 visitors a month from 156 countries. He can be reached via e-mail at [email protected].

TargetSolutions’ Online Safety Training Course Helps Prevent Fires, Protect Employees

Watch this video to learn more about TargetSolutions’ Fire Prevention Safety course.
According to the U.S. Fire Administration, more than 3,400 Americans die each year in fires and approximately 17,500 are injured. That’s why TargetSolutions’ Fire Prevention Safety course is critical in educating employees about the dangers and reducing risk at your organization’s workplace.
This engaging online safety training course features 11 learning modules and a 10-question exam. If you have any questions about TargetSolutions’ online safety training courses, please contact us today at (800) 840-8048.