By Jim Peterson
For most of my time as chief, our county had been on the same dated computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system.
And while it wasn’t the most advanced technology, it worked. It was good enough. So, why did we recently decide to overhaul our operations and move to a next-generation CAD system? Because I knew we could do better. Because when it comes to the safety of our community and the firefighters risking their jobs every day, “good enough” isn’t good enough.
Saginaw County is one of the busier dispatch centers in Michigan. We have 22 fire departments in the county, which spans 825 square miles. Every year, the county receives more than 350,000 911 calls with seven dispatchers.
Previously, firefighters made many of their response decisions on their arrival at the incident scene. Beyond the address, additional information on the building layout, its owners, its business, or even the surrounding area was simply not available to them prior to arrival.
Now when a citizen calls 911 for emergency assistance, reporting a fire in a multiple-level building downtown, our personnel are alerted faster with more information provided as they head to the scene. In addition to details provided by the caller, they see the location of the nearest fire hydrants, building blueprints of each floor, and even video from on scene.
Saginaw’s new PremierOne CAD system, from Motorola Solutions, brings together mapping, records information, media content, and land mobile radio functionality into our command centers. Since implementation, we’ve seen an improvement in our response efforts-reduced time to respond to incidents, better situational awareness heading to incidents, and increased safety of citizens and firefighters.
The following are five benefits our department has seen over the past year.
More Informed Decision Making
From the moment firefighters are dispatched to when they arrive on scene, dispatch can update them with critical information directly to their mobile data terminals (MDTs). Beyond the address of the incident, firefighters have access to a wealth of information, including the following:
- Ownership and history of the building: Does the owner have a hostile history or have certain needs? Has ownership recently changed? Is the building a residence or a business? If it’s a business, what type of business? This critical information provides firefighters with line of sight and the ability to evaluate how to approach the scene before they arrive. For instance, with residences, being aware of whether the resident has a past record of violence toward public safety officials alerts our team to approach with increased caution. Or, knowing the home is occupied by an elderly couple will inform firefighters that the couple may not be as mobile and could require additional assistance once on scene. The businesses located in Saginaw County span a wide range of industries, each requiring specific responses. For example, firefighters responding to a fire at a business that contains highly flammable contents, such as an art store with pallets of paper, paints, and oils, would need to exercise increased caution in their response.
- Building layouts: What is the structure’s layout, and what are the best entry and exit points? Do recent building permits indicate the building is undergoing renovations? We took the time in advance of our new system implementation to input blueprints and layouts of several buildings and businesses. Having this background is incredibly important for firefighters who need to enter a burning building for a rescue effort. The ability to view a building’s layout w