POTTSVILLE -- The Pottsville Fire Department is now using an app to help them fight fires.
The app is called "IamResponding." Pottsville Fire started using it on a trial basis about two months ago. Now, they're subscribing to it full-time. The app allows firefighters to alert one another about who will be responding to a scene. Pottsville Fire Chief Todd March said this app is a big deal because all of his firefighters are volunteers.
Pottsville Fire started using it on a trial basis about two months ago. Now, they're subscribing to it full-time. The app allows firefighters to alert one another about who will be responding to a scene. Pottsville Fire Chief Todd March said this app is a big deal because all of his firefighters are volunteers.
Pottsville Fire Chief Todd March said this app is a big deal because all of his firefighters are volunteers.
"It is going to help save time because (firefighters) don't have to wait for people that might not be coming," Chief March said.
Nearby Schuylkill Haven Fire Department started using the app at the beginning of the year. They, too, are all volunteer firefighters.
"Back when I started in the early 80s, there were more people that could leave work to come to calls," Schuylkill Haven Fire Department Assistant Chief Jim Reed said. "That's not so anymore. A lot of people have to travel out of the area to work and a lot of employers just won't let them go."
The app has a number of other features useful to firefighters. It uses Google Maps to show them other information such as where fire hydrants are or how to get to a scene using GPS.
"Any kind of hazards that we might encounter on any buildings, they're all on this map, so when they're going in they can see on the map what's where," March said.
The app costs about $800 a year for the fire departments to use. Firefighters said that with how much has changed in their profession over the years, having an app like this one helps out a lot.
"We struggle for manpower," Reed said. "That is not just here. That is around the country, I should think. Having this and knowing what you have allows if I'm in charge of a scene, I'll know whether I need to call for more help sooner."