Open ISES (Open Information Systems for Emergency Services)

If you work or volunteer as part of an emergency service agency today, you face an enormous task. It makes no difference if you are a firefighter, a paramedic, an operator as part of an amateur radio group or a member of a citizen emergency response team, you have huge responsibilities. At the Open ISES Project, we are here to help you meet those needs and responsibilities through the use of free, open source software and support materials.

Much of the software used by emergency services today comes in a "one size fits all" box. It makes no difference if the community is 600 or 600,000. For many of the smaller agencies the cost of such software is simply out of reach. Through the use of open source software, we can help you meet your specific software needs and not pillage your budget.

The use of open source software allows you to have access to the software code, the very thing that allows the software to function. By having access to the source code, you can modify the software to do what you need it to do, not what someone in a high-rise office building thinks you should be doing. This gives you the freedom to modify, change and most importantly share the software with your fellow providers. All of our software projects are required to be open source, using an open source license recognized by the Open Source Definition. Because our software is created by volunteers, there is no charge for any program and there never will be.

Within the Open IES Project is the Medical Training Project. The goal of the project is simple, yet expansive; to create a library of EMS instructional material. The project will consist of lesson plans, classroom presentations and resource materials. We will also be looking into creating on-line training courses using the SCORM format.

The access of the project to a world-wide audience creates exciting opportunities, yet also places monumental obstacles along the path. Simply having the materials translated into various languages will be an enormous task unto its own. If you would like to help with this project, please contact us.