Photo: IamRepsonding/EMS&Rescue IamResponding is an emergency response communication and management system used by 26 fire departments, Mercy Ambulance, along with other EMS entities across Houghton County.

HOUGHTON – While the Houghton County Board is set to renew two contracts for emergency response services, it should be noted, the two are entirely separate technologies, each with specific purposes, according to Houghton County Undersheriff Jon Giachino.

As mentioned in another article on page A1, the board is set to approve a five-year contract renewal with Negaunee Regional Communications Center. At the same time, the board is expect to approve a three-year contract renewal for an emergency response communication and management system used by first responders, including firefighters, EMS personnel, and rescue teams. Giachino said the system is used by 26 fire departments throughout the county, along with Mercy Ambulance.

IamResponding is an emergency response communication and management system that allows dispatchers and department chiefs to track exactly who is responding to an incident, their ETA, and their specific qualifications.

“It’s essentially an app that goes on their cellular devices, but can also be used on laptops and tablets,” Giachino said. “When you’re mobile, it gives you kind of a heads-up for fire departments that a call is potentially coming your way. It comes out first.”

It is particularly valuable in instances where multiple departments respond to a major fire. IamResponding allows neighboring agencies to link their systems. Incident commanders can see exactly what personnel and apparatus are en route from surrounding mutual aid departments, which significantly improves command and control over large-scale scenes. It also provides real-time turn-by-turn navigation and map markers for the location of the emergency

Giachino said as a law enforcement officer, he personally does not use the app because it is designed for fire departments and first responders. “It gives pertinent information,” Giachino said.There is mapping on the app, and the fire departments rely on it. It’s astounding how much firefighters love this app.”

Giachino said that Emergency 911 also differs from IamResponding in other ways. Negaunee Regional Dispatch is transitioning its law enforcement radio traffic to full encryption to comply with a statewide mandate. Under federal Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) directives, all law enforcement agencies across Michigan are required to move their primary police communications behind an encrypted firewall by October of this year.

Public safety dispatch for fire services and medical responders remains open on public airwaves, including IamResponding. That will change soon, as statewide plans indicate that Fire and EMS traffic across Michigan is to begin its own transition to encrypted systems next year.