When It Matters Most: CentralSquare Customers on the Front Lines of Wildfire Season

After Colorado’s warmest March on record, wildfire experts are noting concerns. Fires are starting earlier than normal, and grass fires can move quickly, up to 2 to 5 miles per hour in high winds. This means the difference between a small fire and a disaster can happen in seconds. For dispatchers, firefighters, and incident commanders in the Mountain West, this reality guides every choice they make.

Rocky Mountain PBS recently featured a CentralSquare customer who is leading Colorado’s wildfire preparedness. Tyler March, Emergency Communications Director at South Metro Fire Rescue in Centennial, appeared in a statewide story about Colorado’s wildfire outlook. He explained how his agency is getting ready for peak season. “We’re trying to put ourselves in a better position should something happen,” March told Rocky Mountain PBS. He mentioned adding more staff on high-risk days, sending out extra brush trucks, and using drones to map fire perimeters and track fire movement in real time.

The PBS story shows only part of a larger effort. South Metro Fire Rescue, recently profiled with another Mountain West agency, leverages CentralSquare’s platform to automate response steps, accelerate data sharing, and enable seamless collaboration with partner agencies. For example, CAD-to-CAD connections via the Unify Hub let agencies share incident details instantly, while field-based CAD means commanders can rapidly request resources straight from the scene. This technology-driven approach builds a full support stack for year-round fire risks, helping responders act faster and coordinate more effectively.

“People don’t care what it says on the truck, they just want somebody there fast.” – Tyler March, Emergency Communications Director, South Metro Fire Rescue.

Wildfire seasons are getting longer, harder to predict, and require more resources. The agencies that are best prepared are those that have well developed systems in place before the first sign of a fire. Read our full feature to see how South Metro Fire Rescue and Cascade County Emergency Communications in Montana are staying ahead of the threat, and what other agencies can learn from their approach.

Read: How Two Mountain West Agencies Are Using Technology to Stay Ahead of an Escalating Wildfire Threat

Ready to improve your agency’s wildfire response? Visit centralsquare.com to learn more about our solutions.