Fire Hydrant Maintenance GIS

About the Program

Category: Information Technology (Best in Category)

Year: 2011

Pursuant to law, the Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) Department is responsible for annual inspection and maintenance of more than 39,000 fire hydrants within their Fire and Rescue Service District. These inspections ensure fire hydrant integrity and are therefore a critical component of public safety. After 40 years of using a paper-based system, MDFR recognized that GIS technology could streamline the process, improve accountability, and ensure greater fire protection across their two thousand, two hundred and fifty-two square miles of responsibility. The Enterprise Technology Services Department (ETSD) developed a web-based GIS application deployed on mobile devices. The application provides firefighters with a better tool to identify and edit fire hydrants, record maintenance information, and request repairs to sixteen different water departments. The application was developed using ArcGIS Server and Silverlight and was implemented in March 2010. The system features interfaces to the water departments for repair requests and automatic loop closure.