Fire Aid Association teams up with analysis center

LACONIA — The Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid Association has entered into a collaborative effort with the New Hampshire Information and Analysis Center, an all-crimes/all-hazards information and analysis center, for analysis and production of information regarding man-made and natural disasters.

The Information and Analysis Center provides strategic and tactical information about the most serious threats to New Hampshire and its residents. The center monitors information from a variety of open and classified sources, analyzes that information, and provides information that will serve public safety and private-sector interests. Its mission it is to serve the security, public safety and emergency management needs in New Hampshire.

The partnership has been made possible through a Homeland Security grant.

Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid serves as a regional fire and emergency medical services dispatch center, assisting in mutual aid coordination to 35 communities in and around the Lakes Region.

The association has recruited retired Concord firefighter Cory Clark to be permanently assigned to the Information and Analysis Center.

Jonathan M. Goldman, chief coordinator for the association, said, "The training and experience that fire service personnel possess by nature of their profession make them an excellent analytical element ... for contributing to the analysis and production of information regarding man-made and natural disaster incidents. In addition, when fire service personnel embedded in fusion centers are able to view all of the information available to analysts, they can advise on specific preparedness, response, and recovery requirements and assist fellow analysts in the identification and preparation of information products for all emergency services consumers."

Chief Jon Goldman said, “I believe this is a great step forward for the New Hampshire Fire Service with analyzing information from many different sources and compiling it in a way that the New Hampshire fire and EMS services can use it.”

He went on to say, “This is a way to take information about concerns from one part of the state and disseminate it to the rest of the state in an organized and timely manner. LRMFA is appreciative of New Hampshire Department of Safety and the Grants Management Unit for the opportunity to collaborate. We are proud to be at the forefront of this project to better serve our mutual aid partners, district members, and, of course the New Hampshire Emergency Services Community."

State Police Lt. Joe Villers, director of the Information and Analysis Center, said, “This is a program that we have wanted to incorporate into the NHIAC for some time. We now have the opportunity to move forward with a more robust two-way sharing of information between New Hampshire fire and EMS services and the NHIAC.

"I would like to thank Chief Goldman and the Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid Association for recognizing the importance of this position and for taking this program on.”