6 Reasons Why You Should Digitize Your ICS Forms

1. Quickly Retrieve Information

ICS forms are excellent for collecting information during an emergency, but shoe boxes containing paper copies are a poor method for storing that documentation.

Digitization allows emergency management teams to follow the industry standard ICS structure and quickly retrieve that information from their mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or computer. It may feel faster to scribble field reports on paper, but the time to communicate the information to others slows down the whole response. Time saved by being able to quickly view ICS forms from one central cloud-based location can drastically reduce the damage being caused by a disaster.

2. Improve Situational Awareness

Multiple people can view your ICS forms and collaboratively fill them out. Any information added to a form will sync in real-time for all users. By moving your ICS forms to the cloud, teams can easily fill forms out in the field on a tablet or laptop. As the forms are now digital, the information is automatically synced and shared into the Common Operating Picture (COP) for all senior responders to see.

3. Maintain Accuracy

The value of your output is the product of your input and no emergency manager wants garbage in and garbage out. Paper copies are plagued with misinterpretation of handwritten notes. Here’s how digital ICS forms keep information accurate:

Synchronization

Updates through a web browser or mobile device are automatically synced to the cloud to ensure information is not lost or overwritten.

Time Stamps

Information is date-time stamped to ensure that important decisions are based on up-to-date field reports.

Pre-Filled Information

Humans make mistakes and less data entry means less chance of errors. You can maintain accuracy by linking fields in your FEMA ICS forms to your Situation Report. Enter key information once and D4H will instantly autofill it throughout your Incident Action Plan (IAP).

History Tracking

New information expands our incident picture, but we certainly don’t want to lose previous details. All information from the entire incident lifecycle is stored and available for viewing and downloading long after the incident has come to an end in D4H Incident Management’s Audit Trail.

4. View Patterns

As an incident grows, if we are not sharing information digitally then we can only see part of the picture. It’s easy to lose perspective and miss patterns. Worse, emergency managers don’t want to make decisions based on partial information. Digitization allows for all information to be gathered, analyzed, and compared.

Digital reports enable us to view incident patterns and emergency managers are given the ability to relate to past responses and integrate that learning into current situations.

5. Better Prevent and Mitigate Emergencies

Every year, emergency managers sit down with their agency to review their risk assessment to help focus on the risks and plan strategies to mitigate them. The emergency management continuum is a common process. There is even an entire industry dedicated to emergency preparedness. But what are you preparing for/preventing?

Digital emergency management reports can show your actual history, the frequency of community issues, and trends in a region at the click of a button.

6. Track Goal Progress

It’s important to measure what you want to improve. Emergency management measures success based on lives saved, property protected, and response times.

Sure, paper records can eventually be used to calculate an incident’s total damage or cost of responses but while the accountants are going through that stack of paper do your elected officials know how much of the budget remains? Real-time emergency management reports based on information gathered digitally ensure decisions are being made based on current realities, not guesstimates.

Digital ICS Forms FAQs

How does digitizing ICS forms affect accessibility for emergency management teams, especially in remote or resource-constrained areas where internet connectivity may be limited?

Digitizing ICS forms can improve accessibility for emergency management teams by allowing them to access and fill out forms from any location with an internet connection. However, in remote or resource-constrained areas where internet connectivity may be limited, access to digital forms may pose challenges. Emergency managers can address this by implementing offline capabilities in their digital tools, allowing forms to be filled out and stored locally on devices until internet connectivity is restored. Additionally, providing training and support to ensure teams are comfortable with using digital tools offline can help mitigate accessibility issues in such environments. Check out D4H's offline capabilities.

What are the potential challenges or drawbacks associated with transitioning from paper-based to digital ICS forms, and how can emergency managers address these effectively?

Transitioning from paper-based to digital ICS forms may present challenges such as staff training, technological infrastructure requirements, and resistance to change. To address these challenges, emergency managers can invest in training programs to familiarize staff with digital tools and workflows, provide ongoing support and resources for troubleshooting, and communicate the benefits of digitization to garner buy-in from stakeholders. Additionally, phased implementation strategies and pilot projects can help identify and address any issues or concerns before full-scale deployment.

How does the transition to digital ICS forms impact the integration of historical data and lessons learned from previous incidents into emergency management practices?

The transition to digital ICS forms facilitates the integration of historical data and lessons learned from previous incidents into emergency management practices by providing a centralized platform for storing, analyzing, and accessing this information. Digital forms allow for the collection of structured data that can be easily aggregated, searched, and analyzed to identify trends, patterns, and areas for improvement. Additionally, features such as time stamps, history tracking, and pre-filled information streamline the capture and retention of critical details from each incident, ensuring that valuable insights are not lost over time. By leveraging digital tools to capture and analyze historical data, emergency managers can make more informed decisions, refine response strategies, and enhance overall preparedness for future incidents.