In the line of fire 105 magazine - October
Possibilities for the application of EDR services at
the fire brigades
In addition to bringing up-to-date the applied radio
communications facilities, the EDR will significantly
improve the daily work of fireguards due to its
numerous advantages and the services offered. New
solutions – such as the vehicle tracking system
which makes faster the mobilization of fire brigades
and gives a more up-to-date tool for the control of
cars involved in the action – will be available
for assisting the disaster management staff. Due to the
special data storage and data display facilities
– for example the presentation of the extremely
important fire plug database on maps – the
firefighters can become acquainted with new solutions
that have previously been known only by a restricted
range of users. The mobile operation control service
offered by EDR also brings progress as regards the
commanding and efficiency of actions.
The police, including Budapest Police Headquarters,
have been using the network with success since August
2006, while the fire brigades and the National
Ambulance Service began to test the system, the
services provided and the sets (terminals) applied not
long ago.
It is a solution to the control of complicated actions
needed in case of major disasters – the vehicle
tracking system can be installed at the location of the
fire as well
The vehicle tracking system, this service offered by
EDR was supplemented with extra solutions such as the
mobile operation control, making available all vehicle
tracking functions in special cases.
In case of major disasters when the joint efforts of
fire brigades and other public safety organizations may
be needed the exact and fast local control is
indispensable. In these tense situations the control of
actions often presents a problem. Local (on the spot)
management allows faster reaction. In such situations
the EDR makes possible to install the mobile vehicle
tracking workstation at a moving control point, for
example in a car (even in a fire engine). With the
remote workstation the complete vehicle tracking
functionality can be provided locally, enabling the
leaders to have a better overview of the current
conditions. The appointed controlling persons can
monitor from the car the exact location and status of
individual radio terminals (both hand-held ones and
those built into cars) which makes the action and the
local measures taken more efficient.
More transparent fire plug database for allowing faster
dispatching
It is an advantage of the vehicle tracking system that
every public safety organization can use this facility
according to its specific needs, together with the
databases which are essential for the given user.
Special data such as the fire plug database which is
essential for firefighters can be compared to the
system and to the map interface.
The user could previously see the special data only
collected into tables. Provided that the data are
represented on map, it is already possible to include
them as a separate layer in the maps of the vehicle
tracking system workstations. This way the location of
fire plugs can be identified by the dispatchers on the
used map interfaces, based on the specified
coordinates. It is a further advantage that drawings
and maps (for example aerial photos) in grid (raster)
format can also be displayed, contributing to the
faster and more effective work of dispatchers. The
special measuring instruments of firefighters that are
able to output digital signals can also be connected to
the system, therefore values such as the temperature or
the amount of fuel may be determined at the center.
We are ready to give further information, if requested;
questions are to be sent to the address info@pro-m.hu.
