For Broward County Sheriff’s Fire Rescue, communication once relied on emails, whiteboards, and station logbooks. Today, the department modernized information flow among personnel and command staff, expanding from 10 First Arriving dashboards to 25 across battalion stations, headquarters, fleet center, and the County Office of Emergency Management. The outcome is a seamless, connected operation where critical information is visible and actionable, no longer overlooked or forgotten.
Challenges with Communication Before First Arriving Dashboards
Before finding dashboards, communication followed a familiar pattern seen in many fire departments. Information lived in emails, printed memos, and handwritten notes. Assistant Chief Joseph Dorsette said firefighters relied heavily on whiteboards, corkboards, and the traditional logbook to pass updates from shift to shift.
“It was kind of like the old pen-to-paper communication,” Dorsette said. “Traditional … memo, written memo, email, phone calls — nothing too tech-savvy.”
Emails were ignored or hidden. Papers were misplaced or outdated. Even logbooks sometimes missed key updates. Essential details often depended on someone remembering to relay them.
“Stuff gets lost constantly,” he explained. “Emails missed… papers shuffled and lost… the logbook mysteriously growing legs and disappearing.”
Across four shifts and 25 stations, this created fragmentation. There was no single, reliable place to see what was happening in real time.
Why the Department Started Looking for a Communications Solution
Company officers had identified the need for a better, more consistent way to share information. The push for improvement also emerged from the department’s participation in the Center for Public Safety Excellence’s Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) accreditation process, where communication was identified as a key area for growth.
CFAI accreditation helps fire departments strengthen communication by creating a more structured, transparent, and data-driven approach to operations. The process encourages departments to clearly document policies, procedures, community risks, and strategic goals so personnel at every level understand expectations and priorities.
Internally, accreditation improves communication between leadership, officers, and crews by establishing consistent standards and clearer operational alignment. It also helps foster stronger labor-management relationships through greater transparency and shared accountability.
Externally, accreditation gives departments a more effective way to communicate their value to city managers, elected officials, and the public. Instead of relying on anecdotal examples, departments can use measurable data—such as response times, staffing levels, and resource deployment—to demonstrate performance, justify budgets, and explain operational needs.
The accreditation process also aligns departments with nationally recognized best practices and standardized terminology, improving communication and coordination with neighboring agencies and mutual aid partners.
“What is that?” How Broward Fire Rescue Found First Arriving
The department discovered First Arriving dashboards by observing the product in real-world use.
While attending a county-wide training subcommittee meeting hosted by Tamara Fire Rescue, Dorsette noticed a screen displaying real-time information, including a live call feed.
“I saw it up there … the scroll, a call came in, and a few other things. I said, ‘Hey, what is that?’”
That firsthand exposure, combined with validation from a neighboring department already using the platform, made the decision easier.
Bringing First Arriving Dashboards into Firehouses
To address those communication challenges, the department launched a pilot program that deployed 10 dashboards across key locations, including battalion stations, headquarters, the Office of Emergency Management, and the fleet center. The initiative aligned with the agency’s broader commitment to continuous improvement, enhanced communication, performance monitoring, and data-driven decision-making — all core principles of CFAI accreditation.
The process began with a simple online inquiry. After submitting contact information, the department connected with the team to discuss its goals, communication challenges, and interest in improving visibility through a more centralized solution. The conversation focused on the department’s accreditation-driven efforts to strengthen communication and explore how the platform could support those objectives.
From the start, the process was more straightforward than expected.
“I thought it was going to be difficult … but it’s actually been very easy.”
Working with First Arriving, the department quickly moved from concept to deployment. Internal IT and cybersecurity teams reviewed the system to ensure compliance and security, while leadership approved funding through established internal channels.
The dashboards were installed in high-visibility areas like day rooms and front offices—places where personnel naturally gather—ensuring information would be seen without requiring additional effort.
Integrations played a key role early on, including:
Tracking certifications and compliance
Reporting systems to monitor incomplete or outstanding reports
Camera feeds and situational awareness tools
Over time, the department refined how information was displayed, tailoring dashboards by battalion to ensure relevance and reduce unnecessary noise.
‘A Bit of Competition’: Dashboards Help Improve Accountability
Initial use cases focused on command-level visibility — tracking training progress, evaluations, and compliance metrics. But adoption quickly expanded as personnel recognized the value.
“It started off slow,” Dorsette said. “Then it morphed into, ‘Hey, can you put this up there?’ And it’s like ‘we can.”
What began as a leadership tool evolved into a shared operational resource used across the department. Crews, officers, and command staff quickly came to rely on the dashboards as a centralized source of information.
The system even introduced a level of accountability that improved performance, particularly with training and certification deadlines.
“It’s turned into a bit of a competition … don’t get your name on the board,” Dorsette added.
How First Arriving Dashboards Delivered Operational Improvements
The most significant change has been the shift from fragmented communication to unified visibility.
Instead of relying solely on emails or word-of-mouth, personnel now have a real-time, at-a-glance view of what matters:
Active incidents and calls
Outstanding reports and tasks
Training compliance
Upcoming events and operational updates
This redundancy, where information appears both in traditional channels and on dashboards, helps ensure nothing is missed.
“It takes away the lost-in-the-shuffle process,” the department noted. “You still get notifications … but now it’s also right there on the board.”
Command staff can quickly identify issues and act on them, whether it’s following up on incomplete reports or preparing for scheduled events. Crews benefit from immediate awareness without needing to log into multiple systems or track down information.
The result is greater awareness and a clearer operational picture across the entire organization.
Turning Accreditation Goals Into Real-Time Operational Visibility with First Arriving Dashboards
What started as an accreditation-driven initiative to improve communication has become a foundational part of Broward Fire Rescue’s daily operations. By expanding from 10 to 25 dashboards, the department has fully embraced a more modern, visible approach to communication.
As departments continue to connect more systems, the challenge is no longer just integration but clarity and consistency. First Arriving dashboards bridge that gap, turning data into actionable visibility for both command staff and crews.
For this department, dashboards are no longer a “nice-to-have.” They’ve become an essential tool for keeping everyone informed, aligned and ready to respond.
