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Consider approving Resolution No. 2015-058 authorizing the purchase, installation and maintenance of a Fire Station Alerting System from US Digital Designs through the City's Cooperative Purchasing Agreement with the Local Government Purchasing Cooperative "Buy Board" to allow the Fire Department to connect into the North Texas Emergency Communications Center dispatching system, and take appropriate action.
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BACKGROUND:
At the January, 2015 North Texas Emergency Communications Center (NTECC) Board of Directors meeting, the Board received a request from the Fire Chief's to include a Fire Station Alerting (FSA) system into the scope of operations for NTECC. The Board approved the Fire Chiefs to move forward and research FSA solutions and then to report back to the NTECC Board with a recommendation.
A FSA system is a computerized dispatching system that allows Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) software to decrease call processing and Fire Station alerting times. Unlike the current alerting systems that requires the Fire Dispatcher to manually dispatch the call over the radio using voice, a FSA system automatically alerts the Fire Station using a data feed. Once the Dispatcher enters the call type and location, the FSA automatically sends a data packet with the needed response information to the appropriate Fire Stations. A computer voice module at the Fire Station then "verbally" dispatches the call, while digital alert boards show in text the call information. This automation reduces call processing time, and more importantly, total response times.
Secondarily, a FSA system provides a continuous circuit check for connectivity between each Fire Station and the Dispatch Center. This allows both the Dispatch Center and the individual Fire Station to know when the data link is down, allowing for the system to be re-set, before a call for service is requested.
Finally, under a consolidated Fire Dispatch system, concurrent calls can and will com...
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