C4i today officially commissioned into service the first of twenty (20) Fire Control Centre (FCC) Switchplus systems being delivered to Aviation Rescue & Fire Fighting (ARFF) of Airservices Australia. The system was officially accepted by ARFF and went into operation at Coolangatta Airport, Queensland Australia.
C4i commenced this project fourteen months ago and has developed a truly integrated emergency response system for ARFF. The system integrates a variety of existing systems and provides automated services to assist in the response to incidents. The system uses Voice over IP (VoIP) technology and includes capability to interface to legacy systems in both analog and digital domains. C4i and Airservices will complete the national roll-out of the C4i FCC Switchplus system for VoIP based Communications, Alarm and Monitoring functionality at fire stations across the remaining 19 airports in 2010.
The ARFF Switchplus system takes advantage of the distributed architecture of C4i’s SwitchplusIP product to provide a national emergency response system. C4i believes this system is a world first in nationally networking airport Fire Control Centre command and control systems. The innovative solution adopted by Airservices provides greater flexibility under numerous operational use scenarios. Using C4i’s IP based product Airservices will be able to remotely monitor and control alarms and communications of any airport fire station from any other station within the nation. This application provides a seamless integration of airport fire station communications, including telephony, radio, aviation emergency response hotlines, and integrated building and alarm control and monitoring systems.
“It incorporates the very latest technology integrated communications and incident management resources to give Airservices fire fighters the best tools to manage any incident,” said Mr Andrew Rushbrook, General Manager of Airservices Australia ARFF.
C4i SwitchplusIP based systems are already operating in multiple airports in the Middle East, Asia Pacific and Europe. The ARFF Switchplus Alarmon system provides a model for other airports looking to streamline their emergency response times and procedures through the use of technology allowing the integration of existing disparate airport systems. The advantage of this system is the ability for geographically remote users, to provide assistance in times of crisis via the networked operator positions. “C4i believes this technology will benefit all emergency response operators at airports, where there is an ongoing need to reduce operating costs, meet increasing international standards for safety, and provide a capability that can manage the variety of incidents possible. In particular, airport operators responsible for multiple airport sites have the ability to maximize the use of their staff across different locations. SwitchplusIP Alarmon technology allows emergency response crews remote to the airport to provide real time assistance to other crews at other airports in times of need.” said Peter Harrison, Managing Director of C4i.
About C4i
For over 20 years, C4i has specialized in delivering standard-setting communication solutions for mission-critical military and government customers around the globe. C4i is based in Melbourne, Australia and Reston, Virginia, USA, and has representatives around the world. C4i is one of the publicly traded LongReach Group companies. A company with a global reach, C4i has the heritage, the knowledge, the commitment and the experience to adapt revolutionary solutions to your critical mission needs.