By Jamie Thompson
FireRescue1 Editor
DALLAS — With a video teleconferencing system, an 800 digital radio system to provide interoperability and 20 video display screens throughout, it’s the most advanced mobile command center vehicle Pierce has ever manufactured for a fire department.
The $1.5 million vehicle, built for the Frisco, Texas, Fire Department, proved a popular draw at Fire-Rescue International in Dallas.
One of its most unique features is its video streaming capabilities that will be utilized by a jointly-developed program with the Frisco School District known as Situational Awareness for First Responders (SAFER).
The system enables the mobile command center to receive live streaming video feeds from any of the security cameras located in Frisco’s 36 schools. In addition, the same live streaming video will soon be available through feeds from all 200 of the city’s “pan-tilt-zoom” traffic monitoring cameras.
“Our children are this community’s most precious resource, and in case of a fire or other emergency, we’ll have access to live video from inside schools and be able to share this footage with our Emergency Operations Center and all first responders,” said Frisco Fire Chief Mack Borchardt.
“And when the traffic cameras are online, we’ll be able to pinpoint and assess storm damage or other emergency information more quickly and accurately.”
The mobile command center is built on the Pierce Velocity chassis with TAK-4 independent front suspension, 450-hp engine, and Command Zone advanced electronics.
It also includes:
• A 34.5-foot long aluminum walk-in command body with three slide out modules for additional room inside when deployed at an emergency scene. Total interior floor space with slide out rooms extended is more than 315 sq ft.
• Imaging equipment, including portable thermal imaging camera receivers, a mast-mounted thermal imaging camera and mast-mounted high definition camera to quickly assess emergency situations.
• A conference room with six workstations, two with full dispatch capabilities.