Gov Business Review: Specials Magazine

When it comes to emergency management, one thing is certain: time and accuracy can mean the difference between disaster and salvation. The ability to act quickly, backed by precise information, has always been a goal for emergency responders. However, for years, many decisions were made with incomplete data or on-the-ground intuition. Initial Incident Support, LLC is working to change that. By providing real-time, actionable intelligence, the company is revolutionizing how emergencies are managed, offering critical tools to ensure that responders, decision-makers, and communities can act with confidence during their most vulnerable moments. The company was founded by Tim Werle, who, with the assistance of others, developed the FIRIS Fusion Center to align with Orange County Fire Authority Fire Chief Brian Fennessy’s vision for intelligence gathering and distribution. Tim established the workflows that currently guide its operations. From FIRIS’s inception to its current status, funded and managed by Cal OES, he has been involved every step of the way. IIS employs two Fusion Manager Supervisors, and 18 Fusion Managers. Each Fusion Manager has held a leadership position within the Fire/EMS service and has extensive experience working with incident management teams throughout California and the country. Additionally, each Fusion Manager has been performing this role since the FIRIS program was first developed and tested. “Our mission is to provide intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and awareness for all-hazard incidents and events to support decision-making and risk management,” says Werle. A New Standard in Crisis Management Emergency response has traditionally relied on a mix of experience, limited situational data, and gut instincts to guide action. While these methods have saved lives, they also have limitations. The fast pace of wildfires, hurricanes, oil spills, and other disasters often outstrips the capacity of responders to gather and analyse the necessary data. This gap in information can lead to missed opportunities, wasted resources, or decisions that inadvertently place people and property at greater risk. Tim Werle understands these challenges better than most. With over 32 years in emergency service and extensive experience in incident management, he has seen firsthand how critical—and often elusive—timely information can be. “In those crucial early hours of an emergency, every decision matters,” Werle explains. “What we’re doing at Initial Incident Support is giving emergency leaders access to tools and data they’ve never had before. It’s not just a game-changer—it’s a life-saver.” At the heart of Initial Incident Support’s operations are its two Fusion Centers, located in Northern and Southern California. These hubs operate around the clock, combining the expertise of experienced Fusion Managers—we are all former firefighters, not many of us, all of us—with cutting-edge technology and data analysis from Fusion Modelers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Together, they gather and process streams of information from sources such as dispatch data, live camera feeds, and radio traffic to create a clear and detailed picture of unfolding emergencies.