Locution Systems, Inc. (www.locution.com), the provider of the PrimeAlert® Fire Station Alerting System for fire and EMS departments, announced that the Shelby County (TN) Fire Department has chosen to deploy Locution Systems’ PrimeAlert® as its new fire station alerting system.

The Shelby County Fire Department has 15 fire stations that cover 763 square miles and serves a population of 938,000. The Shelby County Fire Department will deploy both versions of PrimeAlert® station alerting: 1) Internet Protocol (IP)-based station alerting using a high-speed data network to transfer emergency dispatches from their 911 communications center to the department’s fire stations; and 2) PrimeAlert® Radio –automated voice alerting via the department’s emergency radio system to first responders already in the field. They use the Motorola Premier One computer-aided-dispatch (CAD) system.

In addition, the Shelby County Fire Department also will install a variety of PrimeAlert® fire station alerting technologies in their fire station that are to speed response times and to improve the health and safety of first responders. Shelby County will deploy the following additional fire station alerting technologies and devices that are part of the PrimeAlert® Fire Station Alerting System.

Shelby County will install:

• PrimeAlert® LED Reader Boards: Wall-mounted LED readers boards programmed and tied into the PrimeAlert® station alerting system in order to display emergency dispatch information visually while the dispatch is being broadcast over the fire station’s public address system;
• PrimeAlert® Response Timers: Wall-mounted digital timers which automatically start counting up in seconds once the dispatch arrives to show first responders the time it’s taking them to reach the apparatus bay;
• PrimeAlert® Thermal Printers: High-speed, rip-and-run printers that print out the emergency dispatch information being vocalized over the fire station’s PA system in seconds.
• PrimeAlert® Night Vision Illuminators: An automated fire station lighting system that “washes” the hallways with red light so that first responders can safely navigate to the apparatus bay while preserving their night vision, for emergency dispatches that arrive after dark, or in the middle of the night when the fire station personnel are sleeping.

“The PrimeAlert® Fire Station Alerting System from Locution Systems is a modular station alerting system with five key product categories: Automated Voice Alerting; Fire Station Lighting Systems and Displays; Automated Mechanical Control of fire station bay doors, traffic lights, and stoves; Zoned Alerting to mitigate sleep deprivation in multi-unit fire station; and Fire Station Sound Systems,” said Glenn Neal, Locution Systems president, founder, and chief technology officer.

“Shelby County has chosen to deploy the IP and radio versions of automated voice alerting, along with other devices and systems that help speed response times, and reduce stress and sleep deprivation for first responders – and we welcome Shelby County to the Locution Systems family of fire and EMS departments using PrimeAlert® throughout North America.”

The Tift County Fire Department, Tifton, GA, has taken delivery of an HME MiniEvo™ fire truck, which is integrated onto a 2015 Ford F-550 Super-Duty Crew Cab XL.

This MiniEvo combines exclusive HME Ahrens-Fox Hydra Technology™ with a 1,500-gpm Hale DSD midship pump all mounted within a 24 inch heated pump house. Other features include a Powerstroke 6.7-liter V-8 OHV direct diesel injection 32-valve intercooled turbo diesel engine, torque capability of 660 pounds at 1,600 rpm, six-speed electronic Select Shift automatic transmission, 40-amp ProMariner battery charger with a Kussmaul super auto eject, six-speaker AM/FM stereo CD player, stainless steel piping, panels and framework, dual 1½ inch crosslays, Fire Research TurboFoam class A foam system with a 17-gallon foam tank, a 400-gallon T-tank for water, Fire Research TankVision, Gortite roll-up doors, Whelen LED warning light package, backup camera system, 139 cubic feet of compartment space and a 40-cubic-foot hosebed.

Salesman: Steven Bowles

Dealership: HME Georgia

Dealer Location: Johns Creek, GA

Truck 20 went into service with Dallas (TX) Fire-Rescue in January, 2015. This unit was part of a multiaerial order which was delivered in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Escambia County is moving forward toward new fire station for the Beulah community.

The Escambia County Commission has approved the purchase of the current 6,000 square foot fire station on six acres on West Nine Mile Road from the Beulah Volunteer Fire Department, Inc. for $300,000. The purchase price was the average of two appraisals for the county.

The county plans to replace the aging Beulah Fire Station with a modern facility, using Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) funds.

Unless most other county fire stations, the Beulah station has no showers, no bunk room or other facilities for firefighters to sleep as they man the station.

Current firefighters describe the station as a "big shed" that proved its inadequacies during the flooding last year and previous hurricanes. Many of Beulah’s 20 volunteer firefighters  were crammed inside with no showers and no place to sleep.

For more information, view www.northescambia.com