Tools I've Built
A running list of every tool I've shipped — on this site and through CommandShield. Each one solves a real problem I kept running into in emergency management, operations, and accessibility work.
Tools Built for Emergency Managers & Field Operations
These tools are built into my personal site and are free to use with no login. They came out of real gaps I kept seeing in how emergency professionals manage paperwork, credentials, and service clarity.
IAPForge
An ICS-aligned Incident Action Plan builder that walks you through every key field of a structured IAP and produces pressure-ready output — fast. No blank page, no template confusion.
During incident planning exercises I kept watching people freeze at the IAP stage. The format exists, but under pressure no one wants to stare at an empty form. IAPForge guides you through it in sequence.
ICS FormForge
Generates correctly structured ICS-201 through ICS-209 forms with guided field inputs and field-ready output. Designed for planning cycles, EOC environments, and field operations. No signup required.
ICS form errors and template confusion slow down operations at the worst possible time. FormForge eliminates the formatting guesswork so teams focus on the incident, not the paperwork.
Skills Dashboard
A personal training record for Emergency Management and Public Safety professionals. Log certifications, track CEU hours by discipline, monitor renewal windows, and see your full credential portfolio — stored locally in your browser with no account.
Tracking 80+ FEMA IS courses, NREMT renewals, NIMS, and clinical hours across a career is genuinely hard. No one tool was built for this specific mix of credentials, so I built one.
DutyLog
A professional time clock for Emergency Management and public safety professionals. Log ICS/NIMS hours, exercises, incidents, and field time. Tracks delivery mode, credit type, and supervisor approval — all stored locally, no login needed.
EM professionals log hours across dozens of categories — exercises, incidents, field time, academic, clinical. No single app handles this mix the way credentialing bodies actually require. DutyLog does.
Ham Radio Exam Study Tool
A full-featured study tool now covering all three amateur license classes — Technician, General, and Extra — built around the official NCVEC question pools, with progress tracked separately per class so switching doesn't lose your place. Includes timed mock exams, a question browser, flagging, keyboard shortcuts, and built-in accessibility settings. Everything runs locally; nothing leaves your device.
The existing study tools all had friction — accounts, donation prompts, clutter. I needed something that starts in seconds, stays out of the way, and is actually accessible. The ham radio license matters for emergency communications, so I built the study tool I wanted to use myself — then expanded it past Technician once I started studying for General and Extra.
Dispatch Timekeeper
A shift and job-time tracker built for dispatchers and field operations. Clock in and out of shifts, log individual jobs with start/stop timers, and see daily totals at a glance — all stored locally with no account needed.
Dispatch work runs across fragmented jobs inside a single shift. No standard timesheet tool handles that granularity the way field teams actually need it. Dispatch Timekeeper tracks both shift time and per-job time simultaneously.
OpClock
An event time and activity log for field operations and exercises. Track personnel clock-in/out, log an activity timeline by phase, manage resource requests, and export timesheets and unit logs — all from one browser-based tool with no account needed.
During exercises and real incidents, keeping a live activity log while also tracking personnel hours and resource requests across phases is genuinely hard to do in one place. OpClock puts the whole picture in a single screen so nothing falls through the cracks.
DispatchLog
A multi-driver dispatch and job logging tool for fleet and field service operations. Log jobs by driver, track shift hours with clock-in/out, view a weekly summary, and export everything to CSV — stored locally with no server, no account.
Small dispatch operations running multiple drivers need a fast way to log runs, track who's on shift, and pull end-of-week numbers — without paying for fleet software that does ten times more than they need. DispatchLog covers the essentials with nothing in the way.
DrawMyService
Custom-built, branded service area maps for towing companies, HVAC, junk removal, plumbers, and any local field service operation. Multi-zone coverage, response-time overlays, and dispatch-ready visuals — delivered to your website or Google Business Profile. I build these for you; it's not a self-serve tool.
Free Public Safety & Accessibility Tools
These tools are published through CommandShield Incident Response, Inc. — my NC-incorporated emergency communications and accessibility consulting company. They're built for emergency managers, PIOs, and public safety agencies that need to ensure life-safety information reaches everyone.
Emergency Message Checker
Score any WEA alert, press release, or evacuation order for plain language, readability, and accessibility before it goes out. Instant feedback — no account, nothing sent to a server.
PIOs and emergency managers draft alerts under pressure and often can't tell if a message will actually be understood by everyone it needs to reach. This gives you a score before it goes live.
IPAWS Message Builder
Build WEA alerts, EAS scripts, evacuation orders, and boil water notices with live plain-language scoring and PIO compliance checks built in. PIO-grade output, free.
IPAWS messaging has a lot of moving parts and PIOs often don't have a structured drafting workflow. This tool gives them a guided builder with live feedback rather than a blank text field.
PDF Accessibility Checker
Drop any government document or emergency PDF and get an instant WCAG / Section 508 accessibility report. Everything runs client-side — nothing leaves your device.
Emergency management agencies put out a huge volume of PDF documents. Most have never been checked against 508 or WCAG. This gives any staff member the ability to run a real check in under a minute without sending sensitive documents anywhere.
504 Exposure Self-Assessment
15 questions across 5 compliance domains. Get a scored risk profile and prioritized findings you can bring to leadership today. Takes about 5 minutes and requires no consultant — just honest answers.
Many agencies don't know where their Section 504 exposure actually is until a complaint arrives. This gives emergency managers and compliance staff a fast, documented starting point — before the next activation, not after.
EM Public Address Message Tool
Generate ready-to-broadcast public address announcements for any incident type — evacuation, shelter-in-place, search and rescue, public health, and more. Templates are built for all populations: deaf/HoH, visual impairment, cognitive disability, non-English speakers, mobility needs, and seniors. Copy, authorize, and log every broadcast.
PA announcements during incidents are often drafted on the fly with no structure and no accessibility review. This tool gives any IC or PIO a guided template that's already written for every channel and every population — with an incident log for after-action documentation.
All CommandShield tools are free, require no account, and run in your browser. For consulting services, training, or the CSIR Certification Program, visit csirinc.com.
What I Do — For Hire
These are paid engagements, not free tools. Two complementary practices: personal consulting through chrislw.com, and specialized public safety work through CommandShield.
Operations Design & Repair
Workflow mapping, process stabilization, documentation, and onboarding systems that reduce cognitive load and eliminate single points of failure.
Core ServiceAccessibility Consulting & Audits
Screen reader flow evaluation, semantic structure review, WCAG compliance assessment, and remediation roadmaps for digital systems and documents.
Core ServiceEmergency-Informed Systems
ICS-aligned clarity, escalation path design, and communication workflows that stay functional when stress, urgency, or confusion are present.
Core ServiceRapid Systems Rescue
Short-engagement triage for broken, inherited, or undocumented workflows. Identify the highest-leverage fixes and apply them fast.
StandaloneDocumentation & Knowledge Transfer
Templates, SOPs, onboarding guides, and continuity materials — built so your team can operate without relying on a single person's memory.
Add-onEmergency Website Accessibility Audit
Full WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA evaluation of your emergency management website. Delivered as a written findings report with prioritized remediation steps for your IT team and grant reviewers.
Accessible Alert Messaging Review
Review and rewrite of alert templates, WEA/EAS messaging, and public notification workflows — with an improved template library delivered at completion.
Incident Communications Planning
Development of an accessible crisis messaging framework integrated into your ICS structure — covering PIO workflow, multi-channel delivery, diverse population reach, and ADA compliance documentation.
Full Communications Assessment
Complete review of your agency's entire public warning and emergency communications capability — delivered as a prioritized action plan for leadership and grant reviewers.
Accessibility Training Program
Specialist training on accessible emergency communications for emergency managers, PIOs, web teams, and communications staff. Not generic ICS basics — built around closing the accessibility gap.
CSIR Certification Program
Verified, documented assessment against WCAG 2.1/2.2 AA and ADA standards. Certified agencies earn the CSIR Accessible Emergency Communications mark — meaningful to grant reviewers and oversight bodies.
Cybersecurity Services
Cyber incident response planning, critical infrastructure assessments, Zero Trust advisory, cyber awareness for public safety IT, and ongoing remote advisory retainers — backed by 40+ cybersecurity credentials.
CSIR Web Services
WCAG 2.2 AA WordPress sites built specifically for public safety organizations. Flat-fee project delivery, plus ongoing monthly content operations from $149/mo.