City of Scott Firefighters are using a different kind of tool to help fight fires. It’s a mobile app called Active911 that provides firefighters with invaluable information about a fire before they get to it.

The fire department receives an automated text message through dispatch, then firefighters tap on the message which triggers everything else. “Soon as that call comes in that truck is gone within seconds,” Scott Fire Chief Chad Sonnier said.

Scott Firefighter Engineer Philip Crea says the app definitely is an upgrade from before. “It eliminates time from the old ways,” Sonnier added.

Chief Sonnier says gone are the days of maps and pagers. Sonnier says the text notification system reaches them before dispatch does. “Go to the map and look at where we’re going and plan our route; you get in the truck drive there and once we got to the building we had to get on a different map,” Sonnier noted.

The chief says his firefighters started using the app about two weeks ago. In the palm of their hands, they have the quickest route and information about the fire hydrants on the scene. “These green and red ones are hydrants.  It tells me how many gallons flow per minute,” Sonnier said.

Sonnier says the app also has information about who owns the building, their contact information and if any hazardous materials are inside. “If it’s a commercial building, it lets the firefighter know first hand before they even arrive is there any type of chemical in there.” 

Plus Sonnier says a quicker response time helps keep insurance rates down. “We have five minutes and 33 seconds to get the first truck to the scene and the last truck nine minutes and 33 seconds.”

“It allows us to gather more information and respond quicker than we were able to before,” Crea added.

The chief says they’ve been inputting information into the app since the middle of last year.