FirstTwo
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Welcome to FirstTwo. We are so glad you joined our family of agencies. This guide is provided to give answers to common questions for administrators, command staff and our users. If you have other questions, please contact our support team at support@firsttwo.com.
Product Overview
Q: What is FirstTwo?
FirstTwo is an intelligence platform that visualizes data to assist responders in the performance of their duties. It's used by various departments within an agency, including patrol, investigators, dispatch/9-1-1, RTCs, tactical, and fire. FirstTwo is a cloud-native solution that requires no setup or data provision and works for any US agency out-of-the- box. It provides location-based visual intelligence to over 2,500 public safety agencies across the United States.
Q: What does FirstTwo Do?
FirstTwo allows users to visually absorb key intelligence before entering and responding to a crisis. Its core product displays identity information of people on a map. Additional layers can visualize key intelligence within the agency, such as LPRs/cameras, school pre-plans, critical incidents, businesses, evacuations, and offenders. FirstTwo also integrates its underlying intelligence with many other "single pane of glass" providers at no additional cost.
Q: What is the history of FirstTwo?
Founded in 2015, FirstTwo's development was influenced by Northern California Fusion, NC HIDTA, and DHS Next Generation First Response (NGFR). The product was co-developed with public safety agencies in Washington, California, and Arizona over nine months.
Installation
Q: How do I install FirstTwo?
FirstTwo is browser-based and requires no download. You can access it from any browser on any device (mobile phone, tablet, or desktop) by visiting https://www.firsttwo.com and creating an account using your agency email address.
Q: Is there a mobile app?
Yes, FirstTwo offers a mobile application for iPhone, Android, iPad, and desktop computers. Installation instructions can be found at https://www.firsttwo.com/home?installapp=1. IT organizations can also push the mobile application using their MDM software. Contact FirstTwo support for details.
Q: Is there a charge for the mobile app?
No, the mobile application is free for FirstTwo customers and offers the same features and capabilities as the browser application. Users can install FirstTwo on as many devices as they are allowed.
Eligibility
Q: Who can use FirstTwo?
Only public safety agencies in the US are authorized to use FirstTwo. If you are not part of a public safety agency but believe you have a use case, please contact FirstTwo support at support@firsttwo.com.
Q: How do users access FirstTwo?
Users access FirstTwo through accounts associated with their agency email domain. If your agency uses multiple email domains, please contact FirstTwo support to provision them.
Licensing
Q: How is FirstTwo licensed?
FirstTwo uses a full site license pricing model based on the number of officers at your agency (agency size). There are no charges per user, device, or search. Pricing information can be found at https://www.firsttwo.com/pricing.html.
Q: What does the license cover?
The license covers all parts of the agency sworn and non-sworn, including RTCs, investigations, patrol, intelligence, dispatch, tactical, and command.
Q: Is FirstTwo on the GSA or local state Contracts?
FirstTwo is proudly GSA and CMAS certified. The FirstTwo GSA Schedule is 47QTCA21D00F8.
Training
Q: What training is available?
The Customer Success Team is available to licensed partner agencies for support and training. Short, pre-recorded training videos are also accessible to users. Live webinar and face-to-face training are available at no charge and can be requested from our help center at https://www.firsttwo.com/help.
Data Source
Q: Where does FirstTwo get its data?
FirstTwo partners and licenses with leading data aggregators to source its intelligence. Core people data is updated multiple times a month as we receive it from our licensed partners.
Q: What type of data does FirstTwo focus on?
FirstTwo focuses on current information, not historical data. It prioritizes information about who currently occupies a property rather than who owns it. If a property lacks a pin and occupant data, it indicates low confidence in the current occupants from the data sources.
Q: What kind of intelligence does FirstTwo use?
FirstTwo uses OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), which relies on public records and publicly available information. It does not contain any CJIS information.
Usage
Q: What are the usage regulations?
The customer agency is solely responsible for regulating the use of FirstTwo. Users should refer to agency-specific policies and procedures, such as their Computer Use Policy.
Q: What are the limitations of FirstTwo's data?
While largely accurate, public records can contain errors. Data is sometimes reported or entered incorrectly. We partner with industry-leading data providers, but data can occasionally be aggregated incorrectly. Data from FirstTwo should be independently verified and never used for legal purposes unless corroborated through other sources.
Administration
Q: How are users managed?
After licensing, agencies designate administrators who have access to a "Manage Users" function within their FirstTwo account. Administrators can provision new users, view/sort/edit users, enable/disable accounts, initiate password resets, change administrator status, and send registration reminder emails.
Q: Does FirstTwo support SSO?
Yes, FirstTwo supports Single Sign -On (SSO) at no additional cost. Contact support for setup.
Q: What is the default user registration behavior?
By default, all users with a valid agency email address can register. Agencies can optionally pre-approve users and require email confirmation.
Logging and Auditing
Q: What usage logs are kept?
FirstTwo maintains usage logs for the most recent 90 days, which are purged after that period. This information is used to understand customer behavior and improve the product.
Q: How can I request usage logs?
Contact FirstTwo support to request an export of the 90-day logs for your agency. Only authorized personnel specified in the Customer Setup Form can request logs.
Passwords and Security
Q: What are the password requirements?
By default, passwords require 8 characters. Agencies can increase the minimum length. Users should not use their network passwords for FirstTwo.
Q: How are passwords stored?
Passwords are stored as a hashed value using SHA-256 with 500,000 hash iterations and 16 bytes (128 bits) of salt.
Q: What about SSO (Single Sign On) and passwords?
Users do not set a password within FirstTwo if SSO is used by your agency.
Minimum Requirements
Q: What are the minimum system requirements?
FirstTwo generally supports the most current default browser on iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac (i.e., Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge).
3 Party Integrations
Q: Does FirstTwo integrate with other systems?
Yes, FirstTwo integrates into companies like Axon/Fusus, Flock, Peregrine, ForceMetrics, Aerodome, Prepared 911, Mark43, Motorola, CAD, and other DFR vendors. FirstTwo works with major applications to bring FirstTwo intelligence into other 3rd party applications at no additional cost. Contact support for more information or to request FirstTwo be integrated into your core applications and maps.
Additional Data Layers
Q: Can I add my agencies data to FirstTwo?
Yes, the FirstTwo platform can be extended to display your agency data on the map at no additional cost. You can use Google MyMaps or send data in various formats (text, Excel, CSV, KML, KMZ, SHP, Esri, Google Earth).
Q: How do I add a layer?
Full instructions are located at https://www.firsttwo.com/layers or contact support@firsttwo.com and we will assist at no cost.
Q: What types of data can be added as layers?
Examples include critical incidents, cameras (residential, canvased, commercial, LPR, DOT), schools/hospitals/churches/malls/corporations with pre-plans, business listings, beat maps/gang territories/jurisdictional boundaries, and offender information.
References
Q: Can you provide references?
Yes, we can provide contacts to our reference agencies pretty much in any state agency. We are currently running in over 2,500 agencies across the United States, from small cities to large state police and federal partners.
Support
Q: How can I contact support?
Support can be contacted through support@firsttwo.com or by calling (888) 934-7782. There is no charge for Support at FirstTwo.