An Innovative and Reliable Solution for Emergency Management

Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) function as central command and control facilities responsible for managing and coordinating responses to various crises, including natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and pandemics, within municipalities, companies, or other organizations. They rely on data visualization to monitor, analyze, and communicate the situation and actions taken by different agencies and stakeholders. However, in the absence of user-friendly data visualization capabilities, EOCs encounter challenges and limitations, such as reduced situational awareness, delayed decision-making, impaired communication, and decreased performance in situations involving a high volume of information and multiple stakeholders.

Buffalo Computer Graphics (BCG), a veteran-owned U.S. small business, specializes in delivering state-of-the-art incident management systems that address these issues. The company is an engineering and certified emergency management firm with extensive experience in developing and deploying incident management software tailored for EOCs to facilitate effective responses and emergency management. The software’s user-friendly and highly customizable interface, along with its robust features, empowers emergency management personnel to coordinate responses, allocate resources efficiently, and make data-driven decisions during critical situations.

“BCG’s product is designed to be practical for everyday use, catering to emergency situations and fulfilling overall client requirements. Its versatility and customizability enable organizations to seamlessly integrate it into their operations as a reliable solution for handling challenges they frequently encounter,” states Laura James, director of strategic engagement at BCG.

DisasterLAN: A Customizable Emergency Management Platform

The system, DisasterLAN (DLAN), offers a customizable emergency management platform that caters to various user needs. It enables them to disseminate information and gather feedback from individuals with diverse perspectives, ranging from senior executives and political leaders to field workers responsible for resource management.

Following the initial client interaction, BCG dedicates a substantial amount of time to explore and comprehend their workflows. This facilitates the system’s modification to meet their specific requirements, including the creation of custom forms and the importation of unique data. It provides them with a personalized dashboard tailored to their views, whether related to an event like the Super Bowl or for individual users.

The system allows for different visualizations based on the user’s role. Senior leadership may have a specific visualization, while those in the operation center might have a different one. Similarly, individuals in the field may access a third type of visualization. BCG possesses the flexibility to tailor the user interface to individual preferences, facilitating a personalized and notable experience by presenting information in a visually appealing dashboard format.

“Our system is user-friendly and accessible to individuals with even the most basic computer knowledge, eliminating the need for expensive third-party IT assistance. This sets BCG apart from competitors, as not many can claim to offer this simplicity and independence in system setup,” says James.

Dashboards, Reports, and GIS Integration

The system’s impressive capability to generate user-friendly dashboards and reports enables all users, regardless of their technical expertise, to easily adapt. Built on a powerful GIS foundation, the system seamlessly integrates with various facets of the internet management system, such as resource tracking and situational awareness. This cohesive approach offers a comprehensive real-time view of planned events or incidents in a single interface.

Support Beyond Implementation

BCG’s on-the-fly assistance is unmatched, be it in providing immediate support or helping clients tackle new challenges. This excellence is highly acknowledged by customers, who appreciate BCG’s ability to handle unfamiliar and complex situations.

Today, both in the U.S. and Canada, accommodating asylum seekers and other immigrants presents a challenge for municipalities. The sudden increase in numbers and inadequate resources available in many local areas are becoming grave concerns. BCG’s platform offers significant advantages by bringing together all relevant stakeholders, enabling them to have a common operating picture for better tracking of housing demands, identifying specific needs, and determining required services for these individuals.

One of the system’s main goals is to help current and potential customers understand how BCG can assist them with these complex matters. It aims to provide comprehensive information on the resources and partnerships necessary for this process, making sure all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the common operating picture.

Virtual and Interactive Training Platform

BCG’s training platform is virtual and features a highly interactive help function, equipped with videos and an intuitive interface. Whenever clients require assistance while using a specific part, they receive help from the system, which automatically directs them to the corresponding help function.

Our product is designed to be practical for everyday use, catering to emergency situations and fulfilling our client’s overall requirements. Its versatility and customizability empower them to seamlessly integrate it into their organization as a reliable solution for handling routine challenges they frequently encounter

The training program goes beyond support by reviewing the workflow analysis and configuration BCG conducts for each customer. This allows it to personalize the training per their needs, providing administrator training customized to their internally identified administrative staff.

“With guidance from the help function, individuals are encouraged to utilize their visualization and situational awareness skills, as well as manage their resources effectively to make necessary configuration changes independently,” states James.

On the administrative side, BCG provides basic user training based on the selected training package. It also offers train-the-trainer training to equip its adult educators with valuable insights and techniques in a digital learning environment. This three-pronged approach ensures BCG’s customers are equipped to support their staff and efficiently manage the configuration on the back end, leading to overall success in service implementation.

BCG’s Team

All BCG team members have received training in the incident command system (ICS) and include a group of certified emergency management trainers specializing in training. According to customer testimonials, it is evident that it has consistently been there to support them in the entire process. The strong connection clients establish with BCG’s project manager is maintained throughout. These project managers possess extensive training and certification from FEMA, as well as hands-on experience in handling activations and working in EOC within command centers.

The Future Ahead

BCG aims to enhance customer support by offering multimedia tutorials in various formats such as videos, PDFs, and interactive files. These resources will provide a self-guided tour experience, giving customers easy access to the information they need and navigating the knowledge base. The ultimate goal is to make tutorials and support data more easily understandable and accessible to customers.

It also aims to provide customers with a viable and adaptable solution that can evolve with their needs in real-life situations. Equally important is the acknowledgment that during situations where it lacks the necessary expertise, BCG has an extensive network of third-party sources, including weather experts, mutual aid planners, and hazmat planners, with whom it collaborates to develop the most suitable solution for its partners.