Orland Is Working with Other Departments in Its Region to Standardize Training in the Region Using TargetSolutions’ Online Fire Training System

Initially, the idea was for TargetSolutions to help Orland Fire Protection District solve the same challenge as it has for hundreds of other departments across the country: The consistent delivery of mandated training. But Training Officer David Piper has learned delivering online continuing education is just part of the story with TargetSolutions.

“The biggest challenge for the department was consistent delivery and tracking of training to meet regulatory requirements,” Piper said. “What TargetSolutions has done is provide a system to not only deliver training, but a way to track and meet requirements.”

Having been on the system since 2009, the 170-member department in Cook County, Ill. is now looking to TargetSolutions as a technology partner capable of helping the entire region take its training program to a new level. With TargetSolutions, Piper sees a way to standardize training, not only within his department, but throughout the region.

Orland is currently developing an enterprise site with TargetSolutions that will serve as a web-based hub for training resources with other departments in the area, including Frankfort Fire Protection District, Manhattan Fire Protection District, and New Lenox Fire Protection District. By sharing training resources, Piper believes the departments will be able to work more effectively together, save costs, and deliver better response.

“We have to depend on other departments around us to handle emergencies,” Piper said. “We’re all doing the same job as training officers, so it really helps if we’re on the same page (with TargetSolutions). It also helps us reduce the workload from an administrative standpoint if we standardize training and allows more time on drill-ground.”

By maximizing TargetSolutions’ revolutionary fire department tracking application, Credentials Manager, Orland is able to create and assign mandated training and electronic tracking reports in bundled packages. Now, managing things like job performance requirements and fire department ISO training hours is simplified.

With multiple first response teams throughout the department, it would be nearly impossible for a training officer to manage each employee’s credentials and licenses individually. This is why Piper values TargetSolutions so much, he said.

“The biggest challenge for the department was consistent delivery and tracking of training to meet regulatory requirements. What TargetSolutions has done is provide a system to not only deliver training, but a way to track and meet requirements.”

David Piper, Training Officer for Orland Fire Protection District

“So now we can say, ‘hey, these are all our requirements. Do these courses in this time period,’ and I can track the training as they complete it, and not have to come back to it,” said Piper. “This has really streamlined training for us.”

As one of the bigger, more progressive departments in the state, Orland is now reaping the benefits of TargetSolutions fire department tracking tools. But early on, when it first signed up in 2009, it took time to get the platform dialed in. Through dedication and outstanding customer support, Piper’s platform is now humming, he said.

“One of the biggest benefits of TargetSolutions is the support is awesome,” Piper said. “Receiving online support through chat or picking up the phone to talk to account representatives, they have all been phenomenal. They’ve done a great job helping us work through issues.

“TargetSolutions is really in touch with its customers. When I first started, we didn’t have a way to assign drills, and wanted to assign objectives out instead of having to enter information – a lot of information. TargetSolutions then developed the Save and Assign feature. They listened to what we wanted and adapted the platform to what we needed.”

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.