Fairfax, VA – The Volunteer/Combination Officer’s Section (VCOS) of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), in partnership with Deccan International, announces the City of Golden (CO) Fire Department and Goochland County (VA) Fire-Rescue & Emergency Services as the departments selected to receive a grant for the Deccan International “Analyst” Application! The Analyst application allows departments to easily view and analyze their historical call data and deliver dashboards and reports on demand. A panel consisting of VCOS members appointed by their Board of Directors and Deccan International representatives chose the selected departments based on their needs and intended use for operational data analytics and their financial constraints. Eligible agencies had to be members of the VCOS and volunteer or combination fire departments.
Goochland County Fire Chief Eddie Furgeson said, “This grant award is great timing for Goochland County Department of Fire-Rescue & Emergency Services, considering how fast our jurisdiction is growing and the need to analyze our data in an effort to present our metrics to our local government leaders and citizens.”
Golden Fire Chief Kasey Beal said, “The Golden Fire Department is excited to partner with Deccan to become more data-informed as we just staffed our second fire station full-time, look to reduce response times, and continue to explore fire-based EMS services. As Colorado’s oldest fire department, dating back to 1879 with a proud volunteer history, our small combination agency proudly serves an area of 10 square miles and 20,000 residents on the edge of the Denver metropolitan area, with a call volume exceeding 2,500 incidents annually. Deccan will allow us to model various peak-time deployment options, better understand our areas of risk, measure compliance against NFPA 1720, and identify any underserved areas of our community. Deccan will also allow us to model our capabilities as we enter into a new Automatic Aid agreement with a neighboring fire agency and how that change will enhance our capabilities and further reduce response times beyond the addition of our second station alone.“
A formal presentation of the grant awards will occur at the VCOS Symposium in the Sun in Clearwater Beach, FL, in November.
About the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC)
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IAFC represents the leadership of firefighters and emergency responders worldwide. IAFC members are the world's leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials response, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation. Since 1873, the IAFC has provided a forum for its members to exchange ideas, develop professionally and uncover the latest best practices and services available for first responders. In 2023, the IAFC proudly commemorates its 150th anniversary.
About the VCOS
The IAFC Volunteer and Combination Officers Section’s (VCOS) mission is to develop and enhance effective, professional leaders of the volunteer and combination fire service by providing tools, resources and representation to lead their organizations effectively. The VCOS vision is to be the leading volunteer/combination fire service organization in the United States, representing and educating leaders of the volunteer and combination fire/rescue service. For more information, visit IAFC.org/VCOS.
About Deccan International
Since 1995, Deccan International’s mission has been to provide the powerful tools Fire & EMS leaders need to make the right decisions for their communities. Deccan employs operations research data scientists and developers to provide real-time operational intelligence to Fire and EMS agencies worldwide. Deccan applications leverage robust analytics to improve Fire and EMS performance and inform agency leaders on operational and administrative challenges.