{"id":747002,"date":"2025-04-29T05:33:29","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T12:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=747002"},"modified":"2025-05-05T08:40:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T15:40:35","slug":"corneliusfd-lake-norman-response","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/corneliusfd-lake-norman-response","title":{"rendered":"North Carolina Lake Patrols Gain Precision with Real-Time Maps"},"author":671,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10862],"tags":[30072,165742,426321,134022,23512],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[478522],"esri_blog_department":[478242],"class_list":["post-747002","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-esri","tag-emergency-response","tag-fire-department","tag-north-carolina","tag-real-time-gis","tag-search-and-rescue","esri-blog-category-fire","esri_blog_department-public-safety"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue uses GIS to improve response times and collaboration when a call for help occurs at Lake Norman.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"Search and rescue and other emergency operations at Lake Norman require a quick response and coordination with many partner agencies. Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue uses GIS technology for greater efficiency and collaboration.\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Key Takeaways<\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Real-time GIS maps drive situational awareness, helping first responders navigate and coordinate quickly to locate people in need.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>When a call for help arrives, the shift commander manages the incident remotely rather than traveling to the yet-to-be identified emergency location.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>GIS benefits expand to meet departmental needs for incident documentation, data sharing, and collaboration.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every year over six million visitors are drawn to North Carolina\u2019s Lake Norman, where nearly year-round recreation transforms the water into a playground for boating enthusiasts, swimmers, fishers, and watersport adventurers. Shoreside dining at restaurants and private homes adds to the lake\u2019s popularity.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But with so many people in and near the water safety is a perpetual concern. Between 2012 and 2023, 28 people lost their lives in the lake, many of them while swimming or boating.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The lake\u2019s breathtaking 500 miles of shoreline and 50 miles of surface water\u2014dotted with scenic coves and inlets\u2014create unique challenges for emergency response. Cornelius-Lemley Fire Rescue, one of seven agencies patrolling the lake, handles approximately 3,500 calls for assistance annually. Pinpointing exact locations in the vast landscape, especially during low visibility night conditions, can critically delay response times when every second counts.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where innovative technology becomes a lifesaver. Using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/what-is-gis\/overview\">GIS<\/a> mapping, incident commanders now assess aeriel views of the lake enhanced with live tracking feeds\u2013transforming how response teams navigate and collaborate during emergencies.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cHaving situational awareness decreases an incident commander\u2019s anxiety when assets may be out of the line of sight,\u201d said Ed \u201cE.J.\u201d McCormick, assistant fire chief in Cornelius. This level of precision and efficiency in coordinating each response can save lives. \u201cUsing the GIS platform keeps incident commanders aware and better able to maintain an appropriate span of control.\u201d<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[747072,747032,747142,747022,747012]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<h3 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Systems for Improving Awareness and Collaboration<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Cornelius fire department\u2019s territory includes 70 miles of shoreline along some of Lake Norman\u2019s widest and most exposed waters and its responders face diverse challenges daily. Beyond marine incidents, their territory demands expertise in emergency medical services, vehicle or confined-space rescues, structural collapse assistance, and hazardous materials response.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Calls for help can come from one of the area\u2019s small, turn-of-the-century neighborhood homes, or from among large lakefront residences that span up to 30,000 square feet. The town also has industrial properties, four public schools, and jurisdiction over many incidents on busy Interstate 77.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With just 13 fire department staff members on duty per day, an emergency or lengthy investigation on the lake can tax resources.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cLarge incidents on the water could last for a duration of two to three days,\u201d McCormick said. \u201cDuring this time, there are multiple operational periods. Local responders coming off the current operation period faced the challenge of communicating to the oncoming shift the areas searched and information collected.\u201d<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The mission complexity of large-scale emergencies can grow quickly, requiring collaboration from many partner agencies.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To achieve better situational awareness and improve joint response efforts, the department changed from using an incident-location response strategy to managing incidents from a central command post. This means the incident commander no longer travels to the scene but, instead, oversees and manages each operation remotely, with the support of technology like GIS.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Response teams use maps and tools inside the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/arcgis\/products\/arcgis-field-maps\/overview\">ArcGIS Field Maps<\/a> application to sync with the new command strategy.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The incident commander has access to the GIS application from a compact green case that team members call \u201cthe football.\u201d The case holds a mobile command center\u2014a laptop computer, accessories, and at least one mobile device. A large-screen monitor, and a mobile desk are also a part of the setup.<\/p>"},{"acf_fc_layout":"gallery","gallery_images":[747082,747042,747062,747052]},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most importantly, the maps used by response teams have clear location markers, ensuring precise coordination during emergencies. This shared visual information system mitigates confusion and allows stronger communication between all agencies involved in rescue operations.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cEven if an agency initially does not have the radio technology to communicate with an incident commander, GIS fixes that, as the system runs on responders' cell phones,\u201d McCormick said.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Information and photos collected at the site become part of a data library for each incident. The data helps the commander plan a response and modify it as needed while also tracking and documenting progress. All or parts of the data are available to the response team and partner agencies in Mecklenburg County.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h3 style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Efficiency Improves with a Clear View of Operations <\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heightened situational awareness for first responders and Mecklenburg County agencies has brought many benefits. Chiefly, incidents that once took two or three days to resolve are now often handled within hours. Decreasing time at incident sites puts responders back in the community faster.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Using apps and a GIS platform improves incident documentation, automates data sharing at shift changes, and contributes significantly to time savings.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With these operational changes, the Cornelius fire department was better prepared to respond to three recent drownings at the lake. And the department used technology to support an evacuation as natural gas leaked from a transcontinental pipeline.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The technology also has made departmental training more efficient. During the summer 2022, the department extended GIS training to partners, including law enforcement, other fire departments, and the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cGIS is truly a component of a joint response we simply cannot do without,\u201d McCormick said. \u201cWe now have the ability to streamline reported information from the field directly to incident command. We can make decisions based on real-time information.\u201d<\/p>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn how <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/fire-rescue-ems\/overview\">fire, rescue, and emergency medical service agencies optimize their response with GIS<\/a>.<\/p>"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v25.9 (Yoast SEO v25.9) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>North Carolina Lake Patrols Gain Precision with Real-Time Maps<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Cornelius Fire Department uses GIS to improve response times and collaboration when a call for help occurs at Lake Norman.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/corneliusfd-lake-norman-response\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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