IT Governance Business Case
Compliance - Upgraded Fire Records Management System (RMS)
Fire Department
Background
Each call to DECC requesting a DFD response generates a record in a proprietary records management system, FIREHOUSE, which is then completed by firefighters at the conclusion of the emergency response. These records fulfill the state/USFA/FEMA requirements for municipal departments.
Current Business Problem
Compliance:
• FIREHOUSE was acquired by ESO which continued to support the aging program while developing a significant upgrade/alternative. With the successful completion and launch of its upgrade, ESO announced that it would discontinue updates and support to FIREHOUSE.
• This means DFD’s primary RMS will no longer receive updates to keep it in compliance with state/USFA reporting requirements and there is no longer vendor technical support for the product.
Business Value:
• The business value for DFD is unable to be met based on the limited functionality available on the current platform that is at its end of life.
Current Pain Points
• No system updates or vendor tech support -- Recent changes to the state’s required file format for submission were not updated in Firehouse
• Non-compliant reporting capability that resulted in the state rejecting over 100 submitted records for one quarterly reporting period
• On-premises server required/No cloud or true mobile capabilities
• During the malware attack DFD could not produce public records for one month; this would have been a non-issue with the upgrade
• Inadequate data flow and exchange compatibility with county and other stakeholders
• The county fire departments, DCEMS, and Duke currently use the upgrade
• Lower data quality due to inadequate data validation programming
• No additional security patches are available
Desired Business Value
City of Durham’s Strategic Plan Goal: Creating a Safer Community Together
Initiative: Implement quality assurance systems that support divisional programming efforts
• Increase data integrity to comply with USFA and FEMA reporting requirements.
• Improved data validation and a more intuitive user interface increases the accuracy and reliability of data
Desired Business Value
City of Durham’s Strategic Plan Goal: Innovative & High Performing Organization
Initiative: Develop and implement a continuous improvement model that includes evaluation and process improvement to analyze and improve City services
• Ensure compliance and technical support for the DFD record management system
• Streamline the incident reporting process by adopting a collaborative end-to-end records management tool, which increases efficiencies.
Future State Benefits
• Cloud-based data storage accessibility
• System updates and upgrades managed by the vendor
• Provides seamless data flow and improved data quality
• Reporting is already aligned to North Carolina's format
• Improved overall user experience by providing a better user interface
• System will receive maintenance and support
Recommended Solution and Analysis
Recommended Solution: ESO Fire RMS
Description
An efficient cloud-based fire records management system that securely documents, stores and maintains data according to fire industry standards
Pros
• Compliant vendor supported records management system
• Easy to use, operate and access data from the cloud
• Provides valid and reliable data on a regular basis
• Streamlines the fire incident reporting process
Cons
• Will incur high opportunity costs with failure to update system
ESO Fire RMS: Project Financial Estimate
COST ESTIMATES FUNDING
*Total Project Funding Requested (External), includes External Year 1 Run Costs and Non-Labor
Description Year 1 Costs (Hours) Annual Run Costs (Hours)/ KTLO Departmental Funding Amount: $7,000 Labor $ (Hours) Internal TS: 75 hours 5 hours Funding Requested (Y/N): Y Business Analysis 10 hours 0 hours TS Services 15 hours 5 hours Project One Time Costs $18,982 TS PMO 50 hours 0 hours Project Run Cost (External) $51,935 Internal Department: Fire Department 240 hours 40 hours *Total Project Funding Requested for Year 1 $63,917 External: $18,982 $0 *Recurring Costs $44,935 Professional Services $18,982 $0 Non-Labor $ Hardware: $0 $0 Software: $51,935 $51,935 Other: $0 $0
Risk Identification
Description of Risk Risk Impact Mitigated (Y/N) Contingency(Y/N) Poor execution Low Yes No Project team turnover Low No Yes Vendor performance Low No Yes Cyber Security Low Yes No
Mitigation Risk (Costs)
• No cost
Contingency Risk (Costs)
• No cost
Our Ask
We are asking to approve the compliance business case for the Fire Department's Fire Records Management System for submission to the City Manager for approval and funding through the BMS department.