3rd Quarter, 2010
FireVISION is a quarterly publication from ACS Government Systems with fire-industry news, FIREHOUSE Software tips, and other helpful information. We hope you find this and future issues to be both informative and useful.

If you would like to be removed from our mailing list, see the instructions at the bottom of this email. Previous newsletters are available in the Newsletters section of the FH web site. If you have any questions or concerns related to the newsletter distribution, please email: FHdocumentation@acs-inc.com.

Let us Generate you $$$$ with the New FH Cost Recovery Service

In these challenging economic times, innovators like our clients are searching for alternatives for funding. FIREHOUSE Software has formed a strategic partnership and developed a host of innovative new solutions focused on helping you maintain the financial stability of your organization. We're proud to introduce our newest service based option, FH Cost Recovery Service.

FH Cost Recovery will provide funds to your department at no cost to you. In short, this service will bill on your behalf for the services you provide to the residents of your municipality. There are no up-front costs, as we only retain a portion of the money we recover for you as our fee. FH Cost Recovery offers comprehensive recovery solutions in two categories, going beyond simple incident billing and claim services: 

• Fire Service Cost Recovery Program - This program allows you to defray emergency response costs by billing responsible parties for the mitigation services you provide at the scene of motor vehicle incidents, HAZMAT cleanup calls, fire investigations, and others.
• Fire Inspection Program - For departments who no longer have the resources to perform on-site inspections of every business in the area, you can eliminate up to 80% of the labor intensive, activities while generating administrative fees (averaging between $40 -$100 per business) for each business inspected through self-inspections.

Using the new FH Cost Recovery Service, you can be confident our customer service and training will produce the highest recovery percentages possible. Come see additional details and FAQs found at http://www.firehousesoftware.com/.

The Learning Builds on Itself 10x Over

Our 10th FIREHOUSE Software Education & Training Seminar held this year in Seattle, WA. brought over 400 attendees from 300 different departments across the country together for three days of FH learning and idea sharing. Attendees had nearly forty different classes to choose from during the event. This year's new classes included: the latest FH products (FH Sketch and FHinspector for iPad), upcoming enhancements to FH (Mapping with Google Earth and Inventory with Bar Coding), an introduction to the new FH Cost Recovery Service, and three different classes covering FH.net. Thank you to everyone who attended this year. Post-event details and comments will be posted to the FHETS home page soon.

Planning for FHETS 2011 is already in motion as well. The city and dates have been set. FHETS 2011 will be September 27 - 30 in Fort Worth, TX. The hotel site and much more information will be announced in our next newsletter. Mark those dates off and get ready to join us in 2011!

FH Clients Continuing to Support Firefighter Safety Research Study

Two years ago, many FIREHOUSE Software clients were randomly selected to participate in a Department of Homeland Security funded national study being conducted by five fire research organizations. The study focused on firefighter safety and resource deployment. The first field report from this study was released last April, and is available for download at www.firereporting.org.

In October this year, special queries were developed for the participating clients to install in FH and export distinct 2009 and 2010 data for the next study report. Although participation is voluntary, all chosen departments are requested to submit their data to ensure the integrity of the scientific study. If your department received a letter, please run the query and submit your data. If your department did not receive a letter and you are interested in participating in this landmark effort, please contact Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell and her team, at 202-824-1594 or lmoore@iaff.org.

Farewell, and Congratulations: We bid a fond farewell to a longtime member of the FIREHOUSE Software staff. Jason Trotter departed in October, deciding to pursue new opportunities outside ACS Government Systems. We wish him the best in his future ventures.

With Jason's departure, Justin Powell was promoted to be our new FH Sales Manager. Justin brings his years of experience in emergency services and FH regional sales to the position. We congratulate Justin in his new role with our team.

Stay Tuned!

New product announcements are coming in next quarter's newsletter. Mapping with Google Earth will be coming soon to replace our existing FH Maps. Inventory management will soon become easier as we incorporate Bar Coding software and hardware into our FH suite.