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Unless you live off the grid, there’s a good chance you have multiple pieces of technology integrated into your daily life. You can receive emails on both your phone and personal computer or get text message alerts through a smartwatch along with a home device like Alexa. Nearly every modern communication technology method integrates with at least one other type of device and ensures that nothing gets missed.
If we use this level of sophistication for personal conversations, so should critical communication like emergency alerts. Yet many fire departments across the country haven’t adopted quick and reliable methods of receiving calls from dispatch centers, and instead rely solely on radio transmissions or pager alerts before heading out of the station.
According to fire service legend, one department used an even more rudimentary system of alerting, much to the chagrin of local taxpayers – a soda can filled with rocks that sat atop a printer. When a call came in from dispatch, the printer would print out the information, thereby knocking the can onto the floor and letting the crew know they were needed.
WHY RADIOS AND PAGERS AREN’T ENOUGH
Viewed as a tried-and-true way to communicate, radio transmissions aren’t as seamless as they theoretically should be. Since they function as a single transmitting method, they can only provide one piece of information at a time.
“If you have two or three calls happening simultaneously and the radio as the only pathway, if you are at the station and on the second or third call, you need to wait for the first call to be dispatched, then potentially the second call and then eventually you’ll get your call,” explained Paul Gyore, a sales engineer at US Digital Designs.
Crews at stations with both fire and EMS must wait for other radio transmissions to conclude before learning if the call is for them and begin preparations. For busy fire departments where this happens often, the ability to promptly meet the needs of citizens in danger is lost.
Pagers are similarly problematic, as the time it takes to transmit a multitude of tones across several calls can be significant. Consider the NFPA 1710 requirement for a structure fire at a single-family dwelling: At least 16 crew members must arrive and are given 80 seconds to turn out and begin their response. If these individuals were spread across four stations, it would take nearly 18 seconds for all calls to go out – a whopping 22.5% of their allotted response time. US Digital Designs found, when analyzing customer feedback, that just over 9% of paging alerts for structure fires aren’t even received.
AN UPDATED & INTEGRATED METHOD OF ALERTING
Rather than relying on legacy technology and sacrificing efficiency, more and more fire departments are turning to IP or network-based station alerting and are adopting systems like the Phoenix G2 by US Digital Designs. Instead of dispatching via radios and pagers, IP-based alerting uses a station’s existing network to deliver detailed dispatch information.
With IP-based alerting, calls can be relayed through dedicated and secure data networks, VPN networks via cable systems and cellular wireless networks. “Due to it being a single pathway, radio congestion slows down the alerting process,” said Gyore. “If you’re on a wide area network, all calls can go out simultaneously to any number of stations required for those calls.”
Calls transmitted via IP-based alerting are typically received in less than one second, and fire crews can be alerted in three different ways – over the station network using the Phoenix G2 system integrated with their CAD system, via the FSA mobile app and over their legacy radio system.
Reliability plays a key role in IP-based alerting too, as stations can use both wireline and wireless data networks with the Phoenix G2 system, eliminating the worry associated with dead zones. Those who use the Phoenix G2 FSA mobile app can also take advantage of mobile phone priority and preemption during emergencies.
WHEN DISSEMINATING INFORMATION, ‘THERE’S NO LIMIT’
Legacy radio and pager systems provide basic information when transmitting a call, including the nature of the incident, the street address and the assigned units. While these details are key, more data can improve the speed and efficiency of responding units.
The Phoenix G2 station alerting system integrates visuals along with clear and calm audio transmission, providing enhanced situational awareness. High-contrast message signs ensure call details are clear while mapping displays can offer information about traffic, hydrant connections, nearby hazards and much more. Crews may also view call information on the way via the mobile app to allow more time to develop a plan.
“The G2 system provides crews with more information than typically announced on the radio,” Gyore said. “Since it’s going to fire stations over their network, additional elements such as cross streets, tactical channel, business name and time-out can be added – any information that CAD compiles for every call is custom crafted for each fire department. When bandwidth is not a concern, situational awareness increases due to the conciseness of the information being delivered. Ultimately, it helps save lives.”
Visit US Digital Designs for more information.
