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I have seen several pictures over the years of FDNY Chiefs using a command board that appears to open like a suitcase and have fold down legs on it with, I'm guessing, a magnetic white board that can also be used with dry erase markers and accountability tags.
Does anyone have any idea where I could get one for my department? They look very simple, very tough and are exactly what I would like to put into service on our department.
Thanks.
You can have ours after we switch over to the new techno model.
Uh oh,duck and cover! Would these new "techno"versions be anything like the radio "upgrade"? Hehe T.C. :o
Why don't you make one? It can't be that hard to get a white board from Office Max or Staples and some markers. Use tape to make an outline of streets and then draw you apparatus and hose line placement in.
Just a thought, if there is little funds to buy things.
I've been slowly working on something like that. Right now we have large plexiglass boards with velcro to use with our accountability tags. I've been thinking about getting a couple of lightweight aluminum easels and a large whiteboard with some markers to set up a little command post area. I just thought that one self contained unit might last longer and be easier to use.
We use a magnetic whiteboard, and all our tags are magnetized. Works beautifully. :)
Quote:
Uh oh,duck and cover! Would these new "techno"versions be anything like the radio "upgrade"? Hehe T.C
Technology Upgrade To Aid Firefighting
By GINGER ADAMS OTIS
The Fire Department is getting close to rolling out a multi-million-dollar wireless command system that will finally relegate to the dustbin the magnetic white boards and magic markers used for decades at major incidents.
The FDNY since 2004 has been pouring resources into the development of a cutting-edge system believed to be the first in the nation to meld disparate technologies into a fluid, intuitive emergency management tool.
The department is launching a major pilot project with the new system in six Manhattan locations next week.
What It Will Provide
The state-of-the-art system will eventually allow Chiefs and other officers in the field to independently dispatch and recall fire trucks, track the position of individual firefighters in burning buildings or other emergency scenarios, set up networks of mobile command posts at different locations on scene. They will also be able to check computerized blueprints of buildings from the city databases and feed all their information - with streaming video - back to a $17 million operations center that's on the seventh floor of MetroTech headquarters in Brooklyn.
FDNY Chief of Operations Salvatore Cassano said the department was really moving forward. "We are light years ahead of where we were on 9/11. Maybe five years ago we'd have thought this was crazy, but not anymore," he noted.
Training on some elements of the new system has already begun at Fort Totten, and parts of it have been used in drills for the past four months.
High-Rises Key Test
Technology has been installed in the 1st, 7th, 8th and 9th Battalions and the 1st and 3rd Divisions in Manhattan, and that's where the department will launch its pilot project March 31.
Chief Cassano said that borough was selected because the FDNY needed to be sure the command boards' wireless technologies would function in a high-rise environment.
"If this wireless command system can work in the canyons of Manhattan, it will work everywhere else," he asserted. "These units will be using it in real time and we'll get very good feedback on how it works."
Cameras on Helmets
The department is also researching ways to bring a pilot program being used in England to New York for integration into the system. It would put video cameras on the helmets of firefighters so officials at the MetroTech communication hub could see real-time images from inside disaster sites, and relay information to other city agencies involved in the response.
The FDNY's push to bring in a new wireless command system was first announced in February 2004, as a partnership between the department's technology team and computer experts at New York University.
A key element in the new wireless command center is NYU-patented "Zooming Technology." Chiefs in the field would use the system one of two ways - through a specialized mobile unit that can be wheeled around disaster sites, or via small, hand-held computer laptops. Those can be carried inside buildings and set up at strategic locations to create an instant network among on-scene command centers. Operating wirelessly, they feed their information down to the larger wireless unit on the ground, which has enough power to send everything back to MetroTech.
Can 'Layer' Maps
The Zooming Technology program allows large amounts of data to be displayed in multiple ways on a computer screen, but also allows a user to zoom in on data or visuals of specific interest. The technology permits different types of maps - such as satellite photos, street maps, water supply lines, and subway lines - to be layered on top of each other on the same screen. The department hit a few snags during its various testing scenarios. A major concern at the moment is finding a way to get the technology to be able to track moving firefighters through three-dimensional buildings.
The plan is to eventually get an electronic tracking device onto the helmet or radio of every firefighter which will feed to Global Positioning System software. Chiefs at the scene and back at headquarters would be able to see red dots - like blips on a radar screen - that represent firefighters. The computer can already accurately track firefighters wearing such chips through burning buildings and pinpoint an exact longitude and latitude.
Can't Pinpoint Floor
The problem, said Chief Cassano, is knowing which floor firefighters are on. "We can track people horizontally, but nobody has given us the ability yet to track firefighters and be able to see that they're on the 30th floor of a high-rise building," he said. "But there are some promising people out there who say they can do it - the military has been here, it's terrific the help we've gotten, and there's going to be prototypes in the near future; it's very close."
Establishing a fault-proof tracking system for firefighters was a top priority, the Chief added.
The FDNY also said having a system that accesses building blueprints via the city's Department of Building's database could ensure the most up-to-date information is always available.
Many city buildings that are listed as SRO - Single Resident Occupancy - are illegally partitioned to create extra rooms that can be rented, and firefighters are often unaware that they're entering locations with blocked methods of egress.
Key Info Not Entered
The FDNY's internal investigation into a Bronx fire in January 2005 - when two firefighters were mortally injured and four others permanently disabled after being forced to jump from a fourth-story window - found that illegal partitions kept them from seeing both the encroaching fire and a back window fire escape. Records showed that a Building Inspector had been at the site six months earlier, but information about the altered floor plans didn't make it into the city's database. Chief Cassano said the department expected inter-agency communications could be improved by the new system.
Moving the large field boards from site to site is another challenge the FDNY has to tackle. Although they're on wheels, the units weigh approximately 110 pounds. The FDNY has vehicles to transport them to the site, but unloading them and maneuvering them into a good position requires careful manpower. The department is working out a procedure that delineates responsibility for the board's protection in the field.
The command boards also have the capability to track casualties at emergency scenes and locate near-by hospitals. Follow-up plans call for the wiring of city buildings with environmental sensors so command boards can pick up details on room temperatures, air quality and other conditions.
The system will be able to sense any sudden changes - like the collapse of a roof, floor or stairwell - and wire them to the operations center.
Oh boy, I can't wait to hear "E229, Central, respond to 123 XYZ street as the Command Support Engine" :pQuote:
Originally Posted by E229Lt
And we thought FAST/RIT and Lobby Control were no fun...
Won't be on my rig!
No, but they'll need manpower to move it around! BC only has one aide. And probably someone to fuel the generator, run the cables, adjust the cameras, serve coffee...Quote:
Originally Posted by E229Lt
Loo, if 9 Metrotech Center says it will be on your rig, you'll do it and YOU WILL LIKE IT! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by E229Lt
Loo - Any idea who the manufacturer of the old, non-techno, command boards is? Any thoughts on where I might get my hands on one?
Raytheon Awarded Contract Valued Up to $6.6 Million to Support the Fire Department of New York in Modernizing Incident Command Systems
Raytheon Company has been awarded a contract by iXP Corporation to design and develop the Portable Electronic Command Board System (PECB) program that will overhaul the Fire Department of New York's (FDNY) manual command boards by using wireless technology.
The PECB will enable FDNY commanders to quickly and efficiently manage firefighters, equipment, emergency medical teams, and other emergency personnel during emergency situations. Raytheon's portion of the contract is valued at up to $6.6 million over the three-year life of the contract. The FDNY PECB program is intended to electronically replicate the existing Portable Command Board functionality with several added capabilities. These include wirelessly backhauling PECB information to the FDNY Data Center; providing for central storage; forwarding of that information to the FDNY Operation Center at FDNY Headquarters; and packaging the PECB in a rugged, easily deployable, transportable, self-contained unit. The technical approach is based upon the integration of innovative software for enabling collaborative incident command functionality to create dynamic situation awareness. "Raytheon is pleased to work with iXP Corporation to deliver a first-class solution to the FDNY," said Dr. Hugo Poza, vice president of the Raytheon Homeland Security Strategic Business Area. "The collaboration of Raytheon and iXP is a force multiplier for the FDNY. Through our combined experience and technological leadership, we will significantly enhance the PECB and enable the FDNY to manage all incidents seamlessly." The PECB is being implemented by Raytheon Information Solutions, in cooperation with the company's Homeland Security Strategic Business Area, and Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems business. "Our team is focused on providing a set of tools to incident commanders that aid in firefighting as well as in improving the safety of personnel working in this hazardous environment," said Andy Zangle, vice president and FDNY account manager with iXP Corporation. "Our incident command solution tracks firefighters and EMS personnel working at inherently chaotic emergency incidents, and Raytheon's track record of providing excellent solutions to its customers will serve the FDNY in meeting its objectives. We are excited to have Raytheon as a member of our team."
Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN), with 2004 sales of $20.2 billion, is an
industry leader in defense and government electronics, space, information
technology, technical services, and business and special mission aircraft.
With headquarters in Waltham, Mass., Raytheon employs 80,000 people worldwide.
iXP Corporation is a national system integration and consulting company
dedicated to the public safety and emergency response markets. In partnership with its customers, iXP's services deliver confidence in emergency
communications through the evaluation, design, integration, implementation and on-going management of emergency communications systems and technology. The company is nationally recognized for its significant expertise in emergency 911 telecommunications, emergency communications center integration and implementation, emergency voice and data communications, and regional interoperability. Representative clients include New York City Police and Fire Departments, City of Boston Police, Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, Constellation Energy Group, and St. Mary's County, Maryland.
[/QUOTE]Cameras on Helmets
The department is also researching ways to bring a pilot program being used in England to New York for integration into the system. It would put video cameras on the helmets of firefighters so officials at the MetroTech communication hub could see real-time images from inside disaster sites, and relay information to other city agencies involved in the response.
The FDNY's push to bring in a new wireless command system was first announced in February 2004, as a partnership between the department's technology team and computer experts at New York University.
A key element in the new wireless command center is NYU-patented "Zooming Technology." Chiefs in the field would use the system one of two ways - through a specialized mobile unit that can be wheeled around disaster sites, or via small, hand-held computer laptops. Those can be carried inside buildings and set up at strategic locations to create an instant network among on-scene command centers. Operating wirelessly, they feed their information down to the larger wireless unit on the ground, which has enough power to send everything back to MetroTech.
.[/QUOTE]
Any idea on what will require an activation of the cameras and will the firefighters know that the cameras are live?
Try contacting the Bedford Hills (NY) FD (www.bedfordhillsfd.org) - they are a vol. FD in Westchester Cty. (the "burbs" north of NYC) and they use the FDNY command board...it's shown on their homepage a few stories down. You'd probably have more luck getting the info from them unless you can get in touch with the FDNY supply division.
Here's a pic from their site of the inside of the board...
http://www.bedfordhillsfd.org/index....alls&PageNum=2
If you're looking for an easel/tri-pod to use with your existing white board, you might wan to take a look at the Command Worktable here...
http://www.fire-rescueoutfitters.com/ic/ims.htm
Hope this helps....Stay Safe.... ;)
How long until they plant a chip in my *** so they can track me at home too?? I can see it now....you were late today...we have your personal GPS on the Belt Parkway at 6:00 pm!!
Yeah just what we need; CAMERAS on our helmets. How about rigs that are in good, safe working order?????????????????????? :(
How will the wireless system work in the next big blackout, terrorist event, or if the Mets win the world series ? Is it a propratory system dedicated only to NYC Gov't ? or is it using the local Wi-Fi or cellular network ?
Gee more crap to carry around.....can't wait.
Come on Vinny! It doesnt add that much weight......or so says the "leaders" from their air conditioned offices at 9 MT. who never operated as a firefighter in Bunker Gear in August walking up 15 stories. They know better.Quote:
Originally Posted by VinnieB