Fire Station User Guide

This book contains information about the Fire Station Desktop application for Windows.

Getting Started


Getting Started

Signing In

The Sign In page is the first window you see after launching Fire Station Desktop. You must sign in using your FSSID or a Fire Station Desktop User before accessing your department's Fire Station data.

Sign In with Your FSSID

If your department requires an FSSID to sign in, you will see the Sign In with FSSID screen. To sign in using your FSSID, you must know your FSSID password and your FSSID must be linked to a personnel record in your department. Additionally, your computer must have internet access to sign in with an FSSID.

1-sign-in-page.png

To sign in with your FSSID:

  1. Select your personnel record from the "Name" list
  2. Enter your FSSID password in the "Password" box
  3. Click the "Sign In with FSSID" button

For security purposes, Sign In with FSSID is required for departments using Cloud Data Hosting. After upgrading to the Fall 2023 release, departments using Cloud Data Hosting can still sign in using a Fire Station Desktop User for 30 days.

Switch to Sign In with Fire Station Desktop User

If your department allows signing in with a Fire Station Desktop User, you can switch to the Fire Station Desktop User Sign In screen by clicking the "Sign in With Fire Station Desktop User" link at the bottom of the screen. This option is available if Sign In with FSSID is not required for your department.

Personnel FSSID Upgrade

If you have a Fire Station Desktop User password that you used before the Fall 2023 release, and your personnel record is not already linked to an FSSID, you may upgrade to an FSSID using your Desktop User password.

To upgrade to an FSSID:

  1. Open the SignIn with FSSID screen
    If FSSID Sign In is optional, use the "Sign In with FSSID" link to switch to this screen
  2. Select your personnel record from the "Name" list
  3. Enter your Desktop User password
    This is the password you have previously used to sign in to Fire Station Desktop
  4. If your personnel record is eligible for an FSSID upgrade, follow the instructions to upgrade your user

    2-fssid-upgrade.png


  5. If your personnel record is not eligible for an upgrade, you will see the following message:

    3-fssid-upgrade-not-allowed.png


Once you have upgraded to an FSSID, you may use the Sign In with FSSID option. If available, you may also continue signing in with your Fire Station Desktop User. Keep in mind that your FSSID password and your Fire Station Desktop user password may be different.

Sign In with Your Fire Station Desktop User

If signing in with an FSSID is optional for your department, you will see the Sign In with Fire Station Desktop User after launching Fire Station Desktop. This screen lets you sign in using your Fire Station Desktop password and does not require an FSSID or internet access.

To sign in using a Fire Station Desktop User, you must know your Fire Station Desktop User password or this must be the first time you are signing in with your Fire Station Desktop User.

Your Fire Station Desktop User password may be different than your FSSID password.

4-database-user-sign-in.png


To sign in with your Fire Station Desktop User:

  1. Select your personnel record from the "Name" list
  2. Enter your Fire Station Desktop User password in the "Password" box
    If this is your first time signing in, enter a new password

    5-first-time-sign-in.png

  3. Click the "Sign In" button
Getting Started

Updating the Software

Fire Station Desktop receives updates from your Department Hub.
You will be notified of updates after signing in to Fire Station through a pop-up window.

Summary: Click "Check for Updates" while using Fire Station to install updates.


1-check-for-updates.png

Checking Your Software Version

To determine which version of Fire Station you have installed, open the "Admin" menu and click the "About" link.

2-check-version.png

The version number is displayed in the pop-up window.

3-version-detail.png

Manually Running Fire Station Setup

At times it may be necessary to start the setup program manually. This is typically caused by installation errors or other system configuration.

To do this, open C:\Program Files (x86)\Fire Station Software, LLC\Fire Station Setup v2

Then, double-click the Fire Station Setup application:

4-manually-run-setup.png

Personnel Module

Personnel Module

Linking Personnel to FSSIDs

Personnel records in may be linked to an FSSID. Once linked, this person may use their FSSID password to sign in to Fire Station Desktop.

Follow these instructions to link an FSSID to personnel using Fire Station Desktop.

If your department uses Cloud Data Hosting, you may also link an FSSID using the Department Hub.

Linking an FSSID

Once you are signed in using your FSSID, follow these steps to link a personnel record to an FSSID:

  1. Click "Personnel" > "Manage Personnel" to open the Manage Personnel screen


    1-manage-personnel.png


  2. Select the personnel record you would like to link an FSSID to


    2-select-personnel.png


  3. Click the "FSSID" tab


    3-fssid-tab.png


  4. Then follow the instructions to link an FSSID

     1  If the user's FSSID is already a member in the Department Hub, then select the FSSID from the drop-down list

     2  If the user does not have an FSSID, or they are not a member in your Department Hub, click the "Send FSSID Invitation" button


    4-fssid-invitation.png


  5. Once the FSSID is linked, or once the user accepts the invitation, the linked FSSID will be displayed


    5-linked-fssid.png


Incident Reporting Module

Incident Reporting Module

Fire Recovery USA Integration

Getting Started

You must be licensed for the Incident Reporting module to use this feature.

Fire Recovery USA (link) specializes in recovering the cost of your department's responses to motor vehicle collisions and fires as well as collecting payments for Fire & Life Safety Inspections and permit fees.

To get started:

  1. Sign up with Fire Recovery USA by sending an email to info@firerecoveryusa.com .
  2. After you have your Fire Recovery USA account set up, send an email to support@firestationsoftware.com and request the integration to be enabled.

By default, Fire Recovery USA only bills the following NFIRS incident codes. If you would like to bill other incident codes, please reach out to Fire Recovery USA and ask for additional codes to be enabled.

Default Billed NFIRS Codes
100
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
120
121
122
123
130
131
132
133
134		 135
136
137
138
150
151
152
153
154
155
160
161
162
163
200
210
211
212
213		 220
221
222
223
231
240
241
242
243
251
322
323
324
340
341
342
343
350
351		 352
353
354
355
356
357
360
361
362
363
364
365
370
371
372
381
400
410
411		 412
413
420
422
423
424
430
431
451
460
463
480
481
900

 

Submit a Call

  1. In Fire Station Desktop, navigate to Incident Reporting > Edit Entered Calls. You may need to sign in.
  2. Select the call you want to submit.
  3. At the top of the page, click the "Fire Recovery USA" icon button.

    1-submit-to-fire-recovery.png


Settings & Permissions

These are settings and permissions that can be configured from the Fire Station Admin and Permisssions screens. This is used by department managers to configure and grant access to Fire Station.

Settings & Permissions

Notification Text Messages

You can receive text message notifications from Fire Station when configuring notification groups. To do this, enter the phone number as an email address specifically formatted for your mobile carrier.

Enter your phone number in the following format:

<10 Digit Phone Number>@<Carrier Domain>

The following table lists the carrier domains for various carriers in North America.

Carrier Format
AT&T <10 Digit Phone Number>@txt.att.net
Sprint <10 Digit Phone Number>@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile <10 Digit Phone Number>@tmomail.net
Verizon <10 Digit Phone Number>@vtext.com
All Tell <10 Digit Phone Number>@message.alltel.com
Boost <10 Digit Phone Number>@myboostmobile.com
Cellular South <10 Digit Phone Number>@csouth1.com
Centennial Wireless <10 Digit Phone Number>@cwemail.com
Cincinnati Bell <10 Digit Phone Number>@gocbw.com
Cricket Wireless <10 Digit Phone Number>@sms.mycricket.com
Metro PCS <10 Digit Phone Number>@mymetropcs.com
Powertel <10 Digit Phone Number>@ptel.net
Qwest <10 Digit Phone Number>@qwestmp.com
Rogers <10 Digit Phone Number>@pcs.rogers.com
Suncom <10 Digit Phone Number>@tms.suncom.com
Telus <10 Digit Phone Number>@msg.telus.com
U.S. Cellular <10 Digit Phone Number>@email.uscc.net
Virgin Mobile USA <10 Digit Phone Number>@vmobl.com

For example, to enter the phone number (123) 456-7890 on AT&T you would enter: 1234567890@txt.att.net

Settings & Permissions

Incident Reporting Settings

Incident Number Length

By default, incident numbers are only 7 digits long. Incident numbers can be increased to a maximum of 9 digits. To enable/disable this feature:

  1. Sign in to Fire Station Desktop.
  2. In the left menu, select Admin > Manage Settings.
  3. Select the Incident Reporting tab.
  4. On the right side of the panel, select/deselect the checkbox labeled "Allow 9-digit Incident Numbers".
  5. Click the "Save" button at the top of the page.

NFIRS 5.0 only supports 7-digit incident numbers. For this reason NFIRS calls do not support the new 9-digit incident numbers. If you convert a quick call with a 9-digit incident number into a NFIRS call, the NFIRS incident number must be changed to 7-digits before the call can be validated.

1-incident-numbering.png

Appendix

Appendix

Security Requirements

This article provides a summary of the security requirements necessary when using Fire Station Desktop.

Networking Requirements

The following network services are used by Fire Station Desktop:

This list is subject to change.