NFIC Training Workshop (Training)

Company Confidential

 

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• •The new USFA Operations and Maintenance Contract for NFIRS became effective October 1st 

• •DHS EAGLE (Enterprise Acquisition Gateway for Leading Edge Solutions) contract 

• •“Aerient” is the new EAGLE contractor maintaining NFIRS 

• •Contract structure is different from the Verizon contract 

• •Currently in a transition period 

 

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• •All NFIRS user support now goes through the NFIRS Support Center  

• •Why? 

• • •Bitsy and Marianne are no longer available 

  • •The NSC gives us a way to track and manage user requests 

  • •The NSC allows us to track resources used 

• •(888) 382-3827 or fema-nfirshelp@dhs.gov 

 

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• •Upcoming changes will become effective January, 2008 

• •The spec cycle changes are posted on www.nfirs.fema.gov 

• •DET changes will go out in a list server email to PMs 

• •NFIRS 4.1 data will sunset with the January 1st 2009 cycle 

• •No NFIRS 4.1 data will be accepted after that point 

 

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1. Considerations for evaluating system changes

• •Is the change practical and/or feasible?  

• •What is the cost/benefit ratio?  

• •How will the change impact future data analyses?  

• •How will the change affect future data collection?  

• •Is there more than one requestor for the change?  

 

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1. Considerations for evaluating system changes

• •How will the change affect the NFIRS specification?  

• •How will the change impact the fire software vendors?  

• •Is the change categorized as maintenance or as an enhancement?  

• •Will the change conflict with higher priority work initiatives?  

• •Is the change simple or complex? 

 

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1. Considerations for evaluating system changes

• •Will the change impact the database schema?  

• •Will the change affect the transaction file format?  

• •Is it a code change?  

• •Will the change involve major changes to software?  

• •Will the change involve multiple software tools and applications?  

 

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1. Considerations for evaluating system changes

• •How much will it cost in personnel and funding?  

• •How many man days will it require to develop and test?  

• •What is the impact on system Operations and Maintenance? 

   

1. About 175 maintenance items are currently being tracked

   Report any suggestions for new system changes to the NSC

 

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1. Major Enhancement Areas

• • •Data collection tools 

  • •Data transmission and validation 

  • •Data output and reporting tools 

 

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1. Web browser data collection tool

• • •Allows departments, particularly small single station departments, to report quickly and easily 

  • •No install or configuration required 

  • •Easy reporting to meet federal Fire Grants reporting requirements 

 

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• • •Use of XML technologies 

• • • •Exports 

    • •Validation 

    • •Data storage 

 

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1. Revised NFIRS Web Output Reports Tool

• • •Requirements developed via a contract with Keybridge Technologies, Inc. 

  • •Two year development cycle 

  • •Replaced Actuate COTS reporting engine with Open Source engine 

  • •Rebuilt the reporting framework 

  • •Rebuilt the GUI (user interface) 

 

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1. Revised NFIRS Web Output Reports Tool

• • •Replaced the report designer tool 

  • •Adds many new features and flexibility 

  • •Multi-phased development and implementation 

  • •Phase 1 focuses on porting existing functionality 

  • •Following phases increase functionality 

  • •Phase 1 is currently in early testing 

  • •Demo presentation will follow 

 

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1. Future Data Tools and Features

• • •Use of OLAP business intelligence tools 

  • •Compare data between departments 

  • •Compare data between states 

  • •Compare data to the national fire experience 

  • •Analyze data flexibly using pivot tables 

 

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