Fire truck upgrade boosts mobile broadband

The City of Oakland, California has deployed CalAmp’s Fusion multinetwork broadband routers in Oakland Fire’s engines and fire trucks.

The deployment was a key element of the core infrastructure upgrade that enables broadband communication of mission-critical information to first responders, particularly in the area of situational intelligence.

“The ability to bridge between our legacy networks and 4G LTE was crucial to the decision,” said Ahsan Baig, division manager, public safety services, Information Technology Department, City of Oakland. “The Fusion provides a platform that supports our current needs while also enabling us to add functionality on an ongoing basis.”

“The success of the project has prompted us to actively evaluate other departments that might benefit from this technology, such as Oakland Police.”

Fusion routers deployed with the Oakland Fire Department leverage Verizon’s commercial wireless network and are equipped with Wi-Fi and GPS to support various client-server and web-based applications for fire, rescue and EMS.

Fusion provides first responders in Oakland with access to resources including building plans, fire records and inspection reports via 4G LTE. It also facilitates access to essential databases such as GIS data for the Port of Oakland, providing occupancy and other information on the map using Esri mapping software.

It also enables reliable communication for mission-critical field applications such as the ShotSpotter gunshot detection and location system, which notifies first responders by providing location information about where gunshots have been fired before they arrive at the incident.

The Fusion deployment also paved the way for Oakland’s subsequent upgrades to its computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems, which has further accelerated mission-critical communications.