Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Tulsa Fire Department Conducts Successful Beta Test of Motorola Firefighter Accountability System

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2003 04:12:51 -0400

Tulsa Fire Department Conducts Successful Beta Test of Motorola Firefighter
Accountability System
Fireground Communications Worked Well in Different Situations, Sectors and
Structures

DALLAS, - 22 Aug. 2003 – Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) and the city of Tulsa Fire
Department announced at the 2003 Fire-Rescue International Conference, sponsored
by the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), that they completed a
successful beta test of the company’s new Fireground Communications System. The
system provides automated on-scene accountability information on each deployed
firefighter to commanders supervising an incident. The Fireground Communications
System is part of Motorola's extensive portfolio of public safety and security
solutions for mission-critical integrated communications, information management,
regional coordination and incident command.

Tulsa, Okla., officials tested the Motorola Fireground Communications System this
summer in the types of incidents, sectors and buildings where they had lost
communications signals in the past. “Even in areas where the voice communication
didn’t come through, the data did. We never lost a signal,” reported Michael
Graves, Chief of Training, Tulsa Fire Department.

He said the department’s main objectives in testing the Fireground Communications
System were all met successfully during the beta test. “We tested how well the
radio and software systems worked together, if the system maintained a constant
radio signal that’s necessary to track individual radios, if use of the system
would decrease the amount of radio traffic at an incident scene, and if the
software and radios were ‘firefighter friendly’ in terms of ease of use,” said
Chief Graves.
“Everything on the Fireground accountability system worked clearly and well, and
it was easy to learn. As a result, the firefighters and Incident Commanders who
tested this system gave it high marks,” he added.

Tulsa was chosen as a test site because the fire department faced a number of
communications challenges common to urban responders, including: Tracking each
responder’s working assignment more efficiently Identifying and assigning
individuals to specific tasks at fireground Overcoming high levels of competing
radio traffic
Maintaining continuous contact in high-rise buildings Separating fire incidents
from other events
such as storms, on the public safety communications system

Tulsa has a population of 390,000 in an area of 192 square miles with numerous
high-rises, hospitals, and a history of major storms. The fire department responds
to almost 30,000 emergency incidents annually and currently tracks responders
manually using physical identification tags.

The Motorola Fireground accountability system offers a significant improvement for
Tulsa with the use of wireless radio signals to electronically and automatically
identify firefighters by sector or working assignment. The information is
displayed on a laptop screen or other computer device, so the Incident Commander
can instantaneously identify on-scene personnel and monitor their sectors or
working assignments. If an emergency situation occurs, the firefighter can push an
emergency button that activates an audible and visual alarm on the mobile command
terminal that identifies the specific firefighter who initiated the alarm as well
as their assigned sector. “Letting the Incident Commander see the emergency alert
immediately is crucial in helping ensure our men’s safety,” said Chief Graves.

Tulsa officials also praised the Motorola Fireground Communications System’s
“power down” feature because it notifies the Incident Commander when a specific
firefighter turns off a radio—either on purpose or by accident.
“An Incident Commander is concerned about losing a signal from the radio when a
firefighter powers up or down. But the Fireground system log read well. There were
no hitches,” said Chief Graves.

Intuitive software features, designed by FieldSoft, like timed reminders and data
logging proved beneficial to the Tulsa Fire Department as well. “It takes care of
the documentation for personnel accountability,” said Chief Graves.
Equipment used in the beta test included Motorola XTS 5000™ portable radios,
FieldSoft’s incident management software, a Motorola ML800 ruggedized laptop
computer, and an enhanced digital RF modem. “We can see dozens of situations in
which the Fireground Communications System can be a major benefit.
We can use it in all major fires,” said Chief Graves.

The Tulsa Fire Department will also be involved in testing future enhancements to
the Fireground Communications System later this year. “The release of Motorola’s
Fireground Communication System version 1.1 has a number of key features we are
looking forward to testing,” said Gordon Gingrich, Communications Director, Tulsa
Fire Department.

These include an evacuation signal warning of immediate danger and a channel
announcement feature that informs the emergency responder which channel or sector
they have selected on their radio dial.

A presentation on the Tulsa beta test will take place Saturday, Aug. 23 at the
Fire-Rescue International Conference at the Dallas Convention Center.

http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail/0,1958,3174_2606_23,00.html

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