Background

South Charleston Fire Department (SCFD) serves roughly 13,500 people across 11 square miles in West Virginia. Its 52 uniformed personnel operate from five stations in three battalions with five frontline units. The response area includes six chemical plants, major interstates, and highways; two plants maintain their own fire brigades, with SCFD providing primary or backup support.

Challenge

The department needed a better incident-reporting workflow than its online NFIRS process and wanted to reduce the fragmentation created by hand-built schedules, a separate scheduling vendor, and paper check-off sheets for apparatus inventory. High-hazard planning also required crews to keep chemical and facility information accessible and current.

Solution

SCFD started with First Due Reporting and expanded into call paging and response, Pre-Incident Planning, Assets & Inventory, and Scheduling. Tier II chemical information is incorporated into pre-plans, while plant tours and joint training help crews understand layouts and processes. First Due also helped upload initial inventory data, and the scheduling app gives personnel mobile access to assignments, station-move alerts, and leave requests.

Results

Chief Virgil White says most personnel can complete an incident report in under 10 minutes. Scheduling now operates as a one-stop workflow that crews can use from their phones, while vacation planning is visible months in advance. The department also described its NERIS transition as seamless and First Due support as responsive and timely.