Locally owned company leads in disaster management

Jan. 17—For the past two weeks, high winds and heavy rain have pelted California.

But amidst these storms, Futurity IT's software system has been aiding both citizens and professionals in streamlining emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.

From earthquakes in Alaska to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Futurity is said to have been employed in every major domestic disaster since 2012 and its CEO, Heidi Hessler, just so happens to be a Yuba City local.

"Our end goal is to get money back into the community as quickly as possible through FEMA reimbursements," explained Hessler. "When disaster strikes, people can't wait for help, they need it immediately and this is one of the tools that can be used to get their information out quickly instead of waiting for the paperwork"

Hessler has been with Futurity for the past decade now, starting out in sales under Robert Richard, the company's original software writer and founder. Two years into her employment, Richard was involved in a car accident and Hessler was notified of his sudden passing via a Skype message. The company was still very small at the time and Hessler said she was faced with the tough decision of whether to walk away or continue it on.

"I really prayed about it and decided I can't let all our customers down and just end this," said Hessler. "So I flew to Pennsylvania and met with his family and reformed the company."

Hessler's legal background came in handy during this time as she began piecing together new contracts and building her support team. After the funeral, she returned to California with Richard's hard drive securely fastened in a tissue box, handed off to her by his own son.

She has since partnered with her brother, Jeremiah Cooper, to assist in program development as a CIO, and feels the company has greatly expanded over the last eight years under her leadership.

"One thing my husband always told me is no matter what you do, just make sure you feel good when you look at yourself in the mirror," said Hessler. "That's been my guiding light through the last eight years in trying to grow this company and take on something this big."

Futurity systems have now been implemented in 30 states throughout the country, including every county in Alabama, Kansas, and Oregon. It's also been adopted by Yuba, Sutter, and Sacramento counties, being employed in disasters such as the Cascade Fire and the recent Sacramento floods.

Futurity describes itself as a "leader in risk management software" with comprehensive data collection tools that are most often used to analyze, document, manage, and monitor the damage caused by natural disasters or other related events. Its platform is divided into two primary programs, Athena and Orion. Athena was originally developed to serve fire departments by gathering information from the community in regards to fire prevention, while Orion has been tailored to support and expedite the efficiencies of emergency management departments throughout the country. The system has been used to document the damage caused to homes, public infrastructures, farms, and businesses by natural disasters or even human-related events such as riots.

Futurity describes Orion as an intuitive mobile app with a cloud-based dashboard that increases field worker productivity and streamlines data for its users. The advantages of using this mobile app over traditional forms of reporting comes from the geocoding that can occur simultaneously on site while taking pictures with the device and through the program. Having the exact coordinates tied to the location of the reported damage satisfies the requirements laid out by FEMA and helps expedite its assistance to victims.

Having grown up in Yuba City and Browns Valley, Hessler graduated from Yuba CIty High School before attending UC Davis and continuing on to law school. She now lives with her husband and five children in the same neighborhood that her grandparents did and said she appreciates having that legacy and the opportunity to give back to the community.

"It's a very personal thing for me to run this company because I know in the end we're helping communities that have suffered tremendous loss," said Hessler.

The Orion system greatly assisted Yuba County's response to the 2017 Cascade Fire. Dan Burns, Yuba County's capital improvement project manager, praised the software for its multifaceted approach and the company's customer service and hands-on training.

"Being able to have all of the information automatically uploaded and available for staff was a tremendous time saver compared to the old pen-and-paper data collection method," said Burns.

"The system was very easy to use. The company that created the program actually had one of their staff come to our county, and she provided training for the field staff to make sure all data collected in the field on the program was accurate and collected correctly."

Over the past few weeks, the Orion system has been used to track and report damage in Sacramento during recent storms. It has also been used to assist officials in allocating resources for the city's unhoused population by documenting the size and location of certain encampments and comparing them to local resources such as heating and cooling centers.

One of the most exciting aspects of Futurity's software is its ability to equip citizens with a way to self report their damage. This is done through a link that can be texted or shared online where residents can access their county's website and utilize Futurity's walkthrough data entry program. The option to self report damage can be especially helpful to small or understaffed emergency departments or those living in rural areas.

"The app is like a piece of the puzzle that's being collected all over the community and that puzzle all comes together in the dashboard," explained Hessler excitedly. "From there, you can see statistics on how many people are being impacted with updated totals on the reported damage as each new case comes in."

Being a national leader in disaster management and response never initially occurred to Hessler when accepting a position in sales over a decade ago. Her ability to adapt and persevere has led her to speak at a number of conferences and mentorship opportunities across the country. The fruits of her labor have been witnessed first hand as local counties continue utilizing Futurity's system in a variety of ways. For now, the company is based only in the United States, but the prospect of expanding globally is on the horizon.

For more information on Futurity IT, visit futurityit.com.