Master Plan Nashua Fire Rescue, NH
4. Nashua Fire Rescue maintains a website and social media presence to provide information to its
customers, but it does not have a formal citizen feedback/input mechanism in place to receive
necessary end-user feedback.
ESCI recommends that Nashua Fire Rescue continue to develop its social media presence in an effort to
provide information to, and receive information from, its customers. ESCI also recommends that
Nashua Fire Rescue evaluate the use of a survey tool to collect performance feedback of those citizens
who have used the Department's services. The gathering of information directly from these individuals
will allow Department and City leadership to key in on specific performance issues that allow for
intervention in a timelier manner, as well as highlight those performance issues that customers indicate
as being of high value.
5. Nashua Fire Rescue has implemented computers at all fire stations to use in recording incidents,
accessing emails and Department operating procedures, and recording equipment inventories. At the
time of this report, the Department did not have a formal IT management strategy in place.
Technology is an evolving field and agencies failing to have plans in place to address ongoing changes
in operating systems can be caught in a position of being required to expend significant and finite
budget revenues to update computers no longer supported by manufacturers. As part of its records
management efforts, the Department utilizes Alpine RedNMX RMS® and Windows® based computers
to accomplish its organizational responsibilities. The Department uses the City’s IT services to maintain
its computer inventory and securely store digital records off-site. ESCl recommends that Nashua Fire
Rescue work with its IT services to ensure an effective IT management strategy is in place to address
current and future department related software are operated and maintained in accordance to
standards within NFPA 950: Standard for Data Development and Exchange for the Fire Service and
NFPA 951: Guide to Building and Utilizing Digital Information.
6. Nashua Fire Rescue should consider staffing a dedicated IT position.
Information Technology (IT) is a challenge within Nashua Fire Rescue. The city currently staffs a central
IT Division that services all city departments with the exception of the police department. In recent
years, the fire department has become increasingly more reliant on computers, laptops and tablets for
both routine and emergency operations more.
7. ESCl recommends that Nashua Fire Rescue implement the use of an online platform, such as Target
Solutions®, as a mechanism to inform individuals when new policies and procedures are published.
Interviews with various stakeholders indicated that Nashua Fire Rescue sometimes encounters
challenges with ensuring accountability for reading and confirming understanding of the new, or
updated, policy when placed onto the intranet. ESCI recommends that Nashua Fire Rescue implement
the use of an online platform, such as Target Solutions®, as a mechanism to inform individuals when
new policies and procedures are published. This system allows each employee to receive the new
documents personally and acknowledge receipt with an electronic timestamp. The system also enables
the Department to require each employee to answer questions specific to the document's content and
ensure the employee receives the desired information. Since Nashua Fire Rescue is preparing to begin
using the Target Solutions® platform in its Training Program, using the program to track policies and
procedures would be a logical next step.
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