Approving of Denying Working out of Class Entries

Posted on July 11, 2022July 12, 2022 by Jeff Feiertag

Effective 07/01/2022, all tracking for working out of class is now performed via the FireApp Working out of Class (WOC) module.

Scenario: You have received e-mail, indicating that someone you supervise has submitted an entry for working out of class.

Log into FireApp and click the WOC button, located near the bottom of the left-side navigation. You will see any entries which require your attention. (Note: Do not reply to the e-mail you received about the WOC activity to be approved; they are not monitored.)
Click to select the one which you would like to approve or deny.
Review the details for the submission and click either the Approve or Deny button.

Note: You may not approve any entry that is greater than 24 hours, excluding Daylight Savings.

Entering Out of Class Hours in the FireApp WOC Module

Posted on July 11, 2022July 20, 2023 by Jeff Feiertag

Have you worked out of class (F3 as a primary apparatus officer, MFF as an officer in a station, MFF to primary unit officer while LT or LT as the sole or senior-most officer)? Effective 07/01/2022, out-of-class tracking is now done through FireApp’s Working Out of Class (WOC) module.

Log into FireApp.
Click the WOC button, located near the bottom of the left-side navigation panel.
Click the Member (Enter Working out of Class Activity) button.
Fill in the necessary fields.
Note the following:
- Activity Type: Select one of the four options.
  
  Note: The Firefighter III as a primary apparatus unit officer option will require you to select the specific incident and unit on which you worked out of class.
- Start DateTime and End DateTime: Identify the period in which you worked out of class in this role. This entry must be equal to or less than 24 hours. If you enter a time range which is greater than 24 hours, your supervisor is directed to deny the entry, except for daylight savings. (If you need to enter time for the period after 24 hours, such as for an incident than ran over into the next day, simply input a second entry for that next day’s activity.) Since tracking is now performed through the FireApp WOC module, you may enter hours that occurred prior to the last six months (plus a 10-day grace period), factoring in a rolling six-month period.
- Activity Hours: This field will auto-calculate, based upon the start and end times.
Click the Send to Superv(isor) button, located at the top of the screen.

Notes:
- This will send e-mail to your assigned supervisor. If your supervisor is on extended leave or you need to change supervisors for some other reason, you may search for another officer by using the Supervisor FSID field.
- If you make a mistake and switch to another FireApp module (effectively saving this entry without sending it to your supervisor), you may return to the WOC module and continue the entry. Additionally, if you made an error and want to have the record removed from the database, simply submit a TSR to request the entry be deleted. Please be as specific in the description as you can.

Using the PPE Quarterly Inspection Form

Posted on July 5, 2022July 6, 2022 by Jeff Feiertag

MCFRS has moved the PPE Quarterly Inspection Form to Jotform. While it is mostly self-explanatory, please note the following:

The form may be accessed via Quicklinks (Support Services menu) or by direct link here.
Pictures may be added to the bottom of the form. The images should be of the tag that is filled out and returned by Maryland Fire. An example of a ticket (although not filled out) is below:

Note: Please place the two tags side by side for you to take your picture before submitting.

Viewing SeamlessDocs Submission Attachments

Posted on June 6, 2022 by Jeff Feiertag

Did you receive a SeamlessDocs message, indicating you need to approve a form which may have some attachments? Would you like to view those attachments to determine if you should sign?

Receive the e-mail, requesting your signature and click the Sign Document link or button, as directed in the message.
Wait for the browser to load your form.
Click the paper clip (attachments) icon.
Note that the Upload Attachments window appears. It is nearly identical for someone who needs to attach a file as it is for someone who needs to review a file.
Click the link labeled Click Here to View (as opposed to Click Here to Upload). The file will either open in a new tab or download to your default download folder (typically the Downloads folder).

Running the ePCR/Elite Cache Clear

Posted on May 20, 2022 by Jeff Feiertag

EMIHS has made a change to speed up the load time for eMEDS/Elite. (It will also clear out the dashboard. The down-side to that is that, when it runs at 0300 hours each day, it will also clear out the unit and crew. If you run any calls between 0300 and shift change, please re-input your information as needed.)

If your system seems to be running slowly throughout the day and you would like to run this process on your own:

Log out of Elite.
Find and double-click the BrowserClear shortcut on the Windows desktop.
Note the window that appears and click the Clear Cache button.
Click the Yes button if you would like to proceed. (If not, click the No button and close the Clear Cache box you saw before.) You will know the process is complete when the window disappears.

Getting Rid of the News and Entertainment Posts in a New Edge Tab

Posted on May 12, 2022 by Jeff Feiertag

Are you using Edge and finding that, when you start a new tab, you see all kinds of news and entertainment posts? Do you just want a basic search page, instead?

Open Edge.
Click the three dot button at the far right and choose Settings.
Click Start, Home and New Tabs on the left side of the screen.
Find the New Tab section at the bottom of the page.
Find the first item in that section, Customize your new tab page layout and content, and click the corresponding Customize button.
Note that your tab loads with all of the news and such.
Find and click the gear icon at the top-right corner of the page.
Click Focused.

Updating Software Center to Show Most Recent App Availability

Posted on March 21, 2022 by Jeff Feiertag

Are you trying to find something in the Windows Software Center, which you know should be there but is not? Here are directions to update Software Center to show the most current list of available apps.

Close Software Center, if you have it open.
Click the Windows start button (at the bottom-left of your taskbar) and type Control, but do not press the Enter key.
Find Control Panel in the resulting list and click it, in order to open it.
Wait for the Control Panel window to open, and then find the search box at the top-right corner of the window. Click in the search box.
Type Config and you’ll see Configuration Manager appear as an option. Click the Configuration manager link
Wait for the Configuration Manager Dialog box to appear and then switch to the Actions tab.
Find and click Application Deployment Evaluation Cycle in the list and then click the Run Now button, located at the bottom-right of the dialog box. Wait for that process to finish.
Find and click Machine Policy Retrieval & Evaluation Cycle in the list and then click the Run Now button.
Click the OK button and then close the Control Panel.
Re-launch Software Center as desired.

Choosing the Right TSR Category

Posted on March 11, 2022March 11, 2022 by Jeff Feiertag

Trying to determine which TSR category fits your help request? Here is a handy guide to get you started. This post will be updated over time. As a reminder, TEBS has recently reorganized a number of key teams and as a result you are reminded that all IT requests should be routed through TSR and the MCFRS Technology Section.

Category	What is Covers
Apparatus Headset	Apparatus Headset
Applications/Software - Data	Issues with Logistics App, Personnel App, EMSQA, FF Time Tracking, WOC, etc.
Applications/Software - Installed	Installed software not working correctly.
Applications/Software - Mobile Apps	Mobile apps for phones or tablets (Handtevy and PSTrax). NOTE: This does not include Active911 and MCEN.
Applications/Software - Web-Based	Batt Lineup, DOC Log, MCtime, PCAP, PIMS, SharePoint, WPM, etc.
Axon Body Camera	Axon Body Camera
Axon Dash Camera	Axon Dash Camera
Cable TV Service	Cable TV Service
CAD System & Hardware (Including CAD Mapping and ECC Phones)	CAD (ECC and Field), CAD Mapping, ECC Phones, etc.
Data Systems & Requests	Data Warehouse, data reports, data mining, response data report requests, etc.
Detectors/Meters	Detectors/Gas Meters
Email Services	Outlook accounts (existing and new requests), distribution lists, groups, etc.
Email Services - ALS Only	E-mail issues related to ALS personnel
ePCR System & Hardware	ePCR/Elite system, software and hardware, etc.
Fire Station Alerting	Fire Station Alerting
Fire Station Audio	Fire Station Audio
FireApp (or other RMS Issues)	FireApp server, software and hardware
FirstNet Subscriber Pay	FirstNet Subscriber Pay
GPS Systems	GPS Systems
Hardware/Software - License or Purchase Request	All requests to buy hardware or software, including web-based product licenses (triggers an additional form for you to submit)
IT Exemption Request	Request for an exemption to an existing FRS and/or TEBS policy (triggers an additional form for you to submit)
Meeting Video Recording Request	Request to record a Teams, Google or Zoom meeting
Messaging (Active911, MCEN, CMsg)	Active911 and MCEN account requests and issues with existing accounts
Mobile Data (MDC)	MDC software and hardware
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)	MFA conection problems, requests for key fobs (activate and deactivate)
Network Systems (Including network drives & VPN access)	Network drives, connectivity problems, VPN (access issues and new account requests)
Phone Number Updates	Update your desk or cell phone number in the centralized list
Radio Consoles (ECC)	Radio Consoles (ECC)
Radio System Infrastructure	Radio System Infrastructure
Radios and Equipment	Portable and mobile radios, speaker mics, DVRS issues, etc.
Station Video Cameras	Station Video Cameras
Technology Hardware	Desktop computer issues, peripherals (monitor, printer, webcam, etc.) and network printers
Technology Training Site & Tracking Subsites	System access, transcript problems, training data tracking, etc. for the main tech training website and all tech training project subsites
Telecomm Services & Hardware	Desk phones, cell phones, SONIM phones, etc.
TeleStaff System & Hardware	TeleStaff System & Hardware
Tone Alert Pagers	Tone Alert Pagers
Web-Based Forms	Changes to existing web forms (Jotform, SeamlessDocs, etc.), new form requests, access to forms
Website Changes & Issues	Website edit requests
Windows	Windows

Changing Your Tech Training Password

Posted on February 2, 2022February 2, 2022 by Jeff Feiertag

Can’t remember your tech training password and/or just want to change it? Here are the steps:

Go to the tech training website.
Find and click the Reset Password link, located near the top-right of the screen.
Note the box that appears:
Input your username and click the E-Mail Reset Link button. A message will be sent to the e-mail address on file with your tech training website account. (If that e-mail address is no longer valid, please contact Jeff Feiertag (jeff.feiertag@montgomerycountymd.gov) to update the address.
Find the message in your e-mail account. (If you do not see it, please check your junk/spam folder).
Click the link provided in the e-mail message. This will take you back to the website to show the following box:
Input your username again, followed by the new password of your choice. Please use at least eight characters and the following:
- At least one upper-case letter
- At least one lower-case letter
- At least one number
- At least one special character
Click the Change Password button and verification will be sent to the same e-mail address on file.

Configuring Edge to Work in IE Mode for MCtime on Non-County PCs

Posted on December 6, 2021 by Jeff Feiertag

Are you hoping to set up Edge at home, so that you may use it to work on timecards? It needs a few tweaks and FRS Technology has tried to simplify the process for you. (Note: Only someone who has administrator rights on a PC can perform this process successfully.)

Download the file Edge-IE.zip from the tech training website. Remember where you save it on your computer, such as the Windows desktop or the Downloads folder.
Find and double-click the file to open it in an unzip utility (such as 7-Zip or WinZip).
Double-Click the Edge-IE folder folder to expand it.
Press Ctrl-A on your keyboard to select all of the files.
Click the Extract button and either choose a new location or proceed with the default location to save the files (which will likely be the same location you selected earlier).
Close the zip utility.
Open a folder (through the File explorer or any other desktop folder) and go to the location where you just extracted your files.
Double-click the file called EdgeIEMode.bat.
Open Edge and access timecards as needed.

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