Purpose Statement
The Unit Utilization Dashboard in Advanced Data Insights provides a comprehensive view of company workload and resource utilization across your department.
This dashboard helps agencies understand how busy units are, how workload is distributed, and when and where demand is highest—supporting informed decisions around staffing, deployment, and operational coverage.
Background Information
The Unit Utilization Dashboard is part of the Advanced Data Insights suite and is designed to convert operational data into actionable insights through interactive visualizations and trend analysis.
It focuses on workload distribution across units, stations, and geographic areas, allowing departments to evaluate how resources are being used, identify peak demand periods, and compare utilization across companies and shifts.
This dashboard is especially valuable for staffing analysis, accreditation, and long-term planning.
Users can analyze:
- Company and station workload
- Utilization trends over time
- Geographic distribution of demand
- Incident types driving workload
- Staffing impact through personnel hours
Important:
Advanced Data Insights dashboards are part of a paid upgrade package and may not be available to all agencies. If this dashboard is not visible, contact your Client Success Manager.
Prerequisites:
- Access to Advanced Data Insights
- Accurate incident and unit response data (NERIS and/or NFIRS)
- Proper unit staffing configuration for personnel hour calculations
Required Permissions
Users must have appropriate permissions to access dashboards and utilization data.
Typical permissions include:
- Advanced Data Insights access
- Dashboard view permissions
- Incident reporting data access
Recommended roles:
- Administrators
- Chiefs
- Operations and staffing officers
- Analysts and accreditation personnel
Step-by-Step Guide
- Go to the First Due logo.
- Access the module stack.
- Select the Dashboard module.
- Select either Dashboards or Dashboard List.
- Select the Unit Utilization Dashboard from the drop-down list.
Dashboard Features & Highlights
Filter Options
Users can refine dashboard data using:
- Date Range
- Shift
- Unit Type and Unit Name
- Department Type (your agency vs. assisting agencies)
- Incident Group, Subgroup, and Type
- Fire Zone and Response Zone
All visuals update dynamically based on selected filters.
KPI Summary Tiles
Quickly view high-level metrics such as:
- Total Unit Hours
- Total Personnel Hours
- Total Dispatches
- Total Incidents
These provide a snapshot of overall workload and activity.
Utilization Breakdowns
Analyze workload across:
- Apparatus (Companies): Identify which units are the busiest
- Incident Type: Understand what types of calls drive workload
- Fire Zone (Map): View geographic distribution of activity
- Shift: Compare workload across time periods
Use the Chart Metric dropdown to switch between:
- Unit Hours
- Personnel Hours
- Dispatches
Utilization Trends Over Time
- Unit Hour Utilization (UHU) Grid: Heat map showing busiest and slowest times of the week
- Timeline View: Trends for Unit Hours, Personnel Hours, Dispatches, and Incidents over time
- Use date grouping (year, quarter, month, week, day) for deeper analysis
Station and Company Table
Compare utilization across:
- Stations
- Companies
Metrics include:
- Unit Hours
- Personnel Hours
- Dispatches
This helps identify imbalances in workload and coverage.
Map Data Validation
- Use the Map Quality Check option to identify responses missing valid geographic coordinates
- Ensures accurate geographic analysis
Key Metrics Definitions
- Unit Hours: Total time each unit is committed to incidents
- Personnel Hours: Total responder time (unit hours multiplied by staffing)
- Dispatches: Number of company responses (best for workload comparison)
- Incidents: Total number of incidents (shown at summary level only to avoid double-counting)
Best Practices
- Ensure staffing data is accurately configured for reliable personnel hour calculations
- Use Unit Hours for apparatus workload and Personnel Hours for staffing impact
- Review utilization by shift and time of day to support scheduling decisions
- Compare workload across stations to identify coverage imbalances
- Use trend analysis for long-term planning and accreditation reporting
Avoid:
- Using incident counts for company-level workload comparisons (use dispatches instead)
- Ignoring missing or invalid geographic data
- Drawing conclusions without confirming applied filters
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Why are personnel hours missing or inaccurate?
Personnel hours depend on accurate staffing assignments tied to unit responses. Verify staffing configurations.
Why aren’t incidents shown by unit?
Incidents are shown at a summary level to avoid double-counting when multiple units respond to the same incident.
Why does map data look incomplete?
Some responses may lack valid coordinates. Use the Map Quality Check tool to identify gaps.
What is Unit Hour Utilization (UHU)?
UHU represents the total time units are committed to calls and is often visualized as a heat map to show peak demand periods.
Who should use this dashboard?
Fire and EMS leadership, operations and staffing officers, analysts, and accreditation personnel responsible for resource planning and workload analysis.