Nearly 200 Md. Fire Rescue Vehicles to Have Mobile Data Terminals by Next Week

July 30--By next week, nearly 200 fire rescue response vehicles in Frederick County will have mobile data terminals -- Panasonic laptops that help first responders' by giving them real-time data on the go, Frederick County Fire Chief Tom Owens said at a press conference Thursday.

The rollout of the updated system, expected to cost about $760,000, started in May and has been deployed geographically, Owens said. Next week, the last set of vehicles in the northern fire stations will get their terminals and complete the transition.

Over the past few months, the terminals -- which are locked into a docking station in the vehicles -- have been tested and debugged, Owens said.

"As the technology continues to evolve," Owens said, "where much of that dispatch information is currently relaid to our responding units by voice radio can now be done electronically with mobile data computer terminals."

Owens said mobile data terminals lessen the workload of 911 dispatchers and give consistent dispatch information to all units responding. The terminals also get rid of additional voice radio traffic.

"As our fire rescue system gets bigger," Owen said, "voice radio becomes almost a detriment."

The program -- which updates the units dispatched while en route -- also includes a map feature that makes it easier for first responders to find addresses.

"This not only provides for more effective and safer response for our emergency responders," said acting deputy chief Tom Coe said, "but also a safer response for our citizens."

Owens said other goals he had for the department included improving the working relationship with the volunteer fire rescue leadership and the career firefighters union -- both of which he has made progress on.

He said he's tried to put into place a labor-management partnership.

"Labor and management will not always agree on what the appropriate direction or initiatives are for our service," he said, "but we can do a much better job of collaboration."

He established regular communication with the union leadership -- the president and executive board -- to make sure that labor and management work together and have an understanding working relationship.

The fire rescue services also did an evaluation of administrative staff operating costs and capital projects, so they could make changes to save money. Owens said fire rescue will save about $560,000 in personnel and operating expenses and about $540,000 with the elimination of one capital improvement project.

"Evaluation of all of our programs will be an ongoing practice of the senior staff," he said.

A working group including volunteer and career fire service instructors was also formed to talk about options to restore the live fire training building.

"There has been a very aggressive evaluation by structural engineers as well as representatives from the Maryland Fire and Rescue Institute," Owens said, "and we are pleased to report that the structural integrity of the building has not been compromised."

Owens said the group came up with recommendations for the building and will discuss the options moving forward.

Another program, Owens said, that will save the county a large sum of money is enrolling non-firefighter paramedics in a training program to become cross-trained providers -- meaning they would have skills in both firefighting and emergency medical services.

"From an employer's standpoint," Owens said, "I think its pretty easy to see that the cost-trained dual-role service provider gets the county taxpayer the biggest bang for their buck."

Owens said this training will create an advanced life-support delivery system. The county will also have enough additional paramedic positions that it'll be able to place another advanced life support response unit in service without hiring any more personnel.

The proposal for the training was reviewed by County Executive Jan Gardner, Owens said, and will be hopefully be implemented in the future.

"One of the fundamental responsibilities of county government is to ensure the safety of its citizens and very key to that is our Division of Fire and Rescue Services," Gardner said at a press conference Thursday. "I'm very pleased that under new leadership ... that we're able to share all of these initiatives and this progress."

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