Emergency Management-Centric iPad Apps

The utility of the iPad directly correlates to the apps used. I had a few dollars left on an App Store gift card, so I spent the balance on two emergency-management centric apps. These are digital versions of two valuable references that are familiar to most first responders.

The first is the Emergency Response Guidebook (.99, Gary Huntress). This is an iPhone only app, so it will not run full screen on the iPad without the blockiness of the 2x feature. This is an electronic version of the reference document that many first responders use on a daily basis when responding to the initial phase of HAZMAT incidents. You can search by chemical name, which makes finding the information you need during the crucial first moments of a HAZMAT incident faster and easier. The ERG app also features initial response guidance and placard information and diagrams.

The second app is also an electronic version of a familiar HAZMAT reference guide. NIOSH Chemical Hazards ($2.99, Random Support) is an electronic version of the NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Safety. This is a valuable reference for the later phases of an incident. Like the ERG app, this lets you search by chemical or trade name as well as synonyms and CAS or RTECS numbers. One feature I like is that you can add substances to a “favorites list,” so you can rapidly reference commonly-encountered substances.

These apps place a lot of valuable information into my hands in a rapidly accessible format. When used together, they provide information that can guide all phases of a HAZMAT response. If you’re an emergency management professional or first responder that uses an iPad, then you need these apps. Both are highly recommended.

How I Use My iPad for Incident Management

As many of you know, I am an avid iPad user. It has revolutionized my incident management process. It is really an all-in-one incident management toolkit. Here is a quick walk through of how I might use my iPad on an incident scene.

I arrive at the incident scene, throw on my vest, and grab my iPad and install the Bad Elf GPS. I open Documents to Go and load my incident report form. I familiarize myself with the incident by being briefed by the current IC (believe it or not, emergency management does always need to be in command of an incident). I begin filling out my incident report on the iPad.

I will also grab the coordinates and create a quick location map using the Bad Elf GPS and an offline navigation app (right now I am using Topo Maps).

This is certainly not high-powered GIS capability, but it is a way to get a quick map of the scene. You can add additional pins to the map to denote additional information if necessary.

Should the event grow in complexity, I have the entire set of ICS forms that I can use to set up and document a formal command structure. This allows me a great deal of flexibility in managing both small and large scale incidents. And I’ve failed to mention the obvious access to Email and to documentation on the Internet. With access to cellular data from my phone or a mobile hotspot, I have an entire library of information at my fingertips. And I can file my incident report or send detailed sit-reps right from the scene.

There is no doubt that the iPad is a revolutionary incident management tool. I’m not planning to pick up the iPad 2, though the front and rear-facing cameras would add even more versatility to this tool. And yes, this post was drafted completely with my iPad 🙂

HSEEP

I finished up the second day of the Homeland Security Exercise Evaluation Program course today. This training is a must for emergency management professionals, who often find themselves in the driver’s seat of coordinating exercise development. I am in the position of being a new EM director with the unenviable task of putting together a full-scale exercise. Planning is already underway, but thankfully not too far along to back up and convert over to the HSEEP format.

If you are involved with exercise development or exercise program management, you owe it to yourself to register for a HSEEP Toolkit account. This is a comprehensive tool that assist you with developing an exercise from initial brainstorming to tracking the progress of implementing corrective actions. There is also a library of documents that you can tailor to fit the needs of your exercise. Check out the HSEEP Toolkit and let me know what you think.