County emergency services have something in common.

Byline: Bill Bishop The Register-Guard

With all the excitement that follows fire engines and ambulances down the street, it might be hard to picture fire and rescue managers getting any thrills working behind the scenes in front of computer screens.

But a new computer system is putting them behind the bigger wheel, driving the community's fire and safety systems into the future.

Eventually, all of the county's 19 fire and rescue departments will have Web-based access to common databases. They'll have wireless communications giving them everything from a patient's vital signs to lists of hazardous materials they might encounter at a fire while they are on their way to it.

They'll be able to fashion public safety messages based on real-life data from local communities. They'll track the performance of equipment and forecast replacement needs. They'll be more on-target with budgets, faster producing reports, quicker doing fire safety inspections.

There's more. Stuff that no one has yet imagined, Eugene Fire Marshal Mike Thrapp said.

"We need to look 20 years out for how we can take advantage of this technology," he said.

For the moment, though, they're plugging in one function at a time and working the bugs out while training Eugene and Springfield fire and rescue workers in its use.

The first of a nine-part complement of new software covering fire and emergency medical records management came to life this month. The rest will be installed over the next 15 months, said Dara Boush, information services manager for the Area Information Records Consortium, which is a partnership between Eugene, Springfield and Lane County.

The consortium set out in recent years to replace the county's aging mainframe computer system, which served local public safety agencies for decades. While the old system became obsolete, the long-standing intergovernmental commitment to sharing data left Lane County agencies in the right posture to maximize the new technology, Boush said.

Most other areas of the country grew up with their own data systems and procedures.

To use new technology, they also have to learn to work together.

"This area, in the way it grew up, shared information to an extent that we don't see across the country. As we're moving to renew our technology, we're preserving that integration," Boush said.

The AIRS upgrade actually began taking shape in 2002, with new jail management software. It continued in 2003, with computer-assisted dispatch and mobile computing software for local public safety agencies.

Eugene, Springfield and Lane County shared the $277,000 cost of the nine-part fire and rescue software package. The cost includes training and project management.

"It's technology that is going to help us be better stewards of public money. Data is essential to maximize service," Thrapp said. "Our assets are public assets. We definitely want to provide the best value for the dollar for the community."