McKinney City Council approved a $205,000 contract to purchase data analytics software for the McKinney Fire Department at a Jan. 16 meeting.
The context
The software was purchased from Darkhorse Emergency Corp., a division of Darkhorse Analytics Inc. based in Edmonton, Alberta. The company offers a decision analytics platform that can provide information to public safety officials on performance metrics, community risk assessments and more, according to its website.
City staff considered five applicants that responded to a request for qualifications to provide predictive modeling software to the department, with the selected firm scoring the highest. The approved contract includes an annual cost of $41,000 for a five-year contract term, according to the city’s website.
The details
The software monitors call responses and response time, as well as offers forecasted data including total number of incidents, expected drive time and other variables.
McKinney Fire Chief Paul Dow said in an email that the software will assist the fire department in addressing emergency response challenges as well as to prioritize how and where resources are deployed.
“McKinney is growing at a rapid pace, and the fire department must ensure we can meet the fire and EMS response needs of the community,” Dow said.
The software is also able to forecast solutions for the department’s future needs, including adding additional fire stations, staff and apparatuses to meet the community’s emergency service demands, Dow said.
Quote of note
“The McKinney Fire Department wants to make data-driven decisions on the location of future fire stations, the amount, and types of apparatus in our fire districts, and the staffing levels necessary to provide the best services possible,” Fire Chief Paul Dow said in an email.
Learn more
To learn more about the McKinney Fire Department, visit www.mckinneytexas.org/157/fire.
