NEW !!!   Fire Dispatch has replaced our status boards with a new, state of the art display. The Wall Board in Fire Dispatch has been sorely in need of revamping.  The obsolete equipment and hardware could not support our current technology and replacement parts or upgrades were no longer available. 
          

With the implementation of the Automatic Vehicle Locater (AVL) in our fleet, we also needed a system that could incorporate this technology.  The Department reviewed 20 company proposals before choosing the EVANS Group.  The new Display Wall was obtained for $200,000.  

The new Audio/Visual rear projection LCD screen system allows for multiple images to be broadcast simultaneously.  The screen displays can be resized and relocated as needed to assist the Dispatchers.  The video technology has the capability of displaying 8 mediums simultaneously.  The Current programs include 2 mapping systems:  the Fire and EMS status boards and the AVL maps with zoom in capability for Fire, EMS and Police.

The center screen has 6 display capability to show Doppler weather and traffic, DVD or VCR, computer displays, off air television and prerecorded playbacks.  The  new video wall is shown below:

Dallas Fire-Rescue provides the city of Dallas with Fire and Emergency Medical protection.  Dallas, the eighth largest city in the United States covers an area of approximately 380 square miles and has an approximate population of 1,188,580.

In anticipation of future growth and the demands this growth would place on the Fire Department, in November, 1977, the Gamewell Alarm system was turned off and replaced with our present computer dispatch system. This computer dispatch system was designed to meet departmental needs as well as future technological changes. The unique feature of this system allows the correct fire company to be automatically selected based on it's response position on the Fire Alarm Box Card and assigned it to the incident, rather than present a selection option to the dispatcher for their approval. Experience has proven this technique to be very successful.

  NEW !!  Click here to read about our new Emergency Medical Dispatch Program.  This program, started in 1999 is supervised by Dr. Paul Pepe, our Medical Director.

 Over the years several innovations have been added to this Computer Dispatch System. The system uses Fire Alarm Box cards to make unit assignments and reallocation of resources during multi-alarm incidents. A standard one alarm assignment today consists of 3 Engines, 1 Truck, 1 Rescue and 1 Battalion Chief. If the incident requires a high rise building response the assignment is 3 Engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Rescue and 2 Battalion Chiefs. A second alarm response will assign 3 Engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Rescue, 2 Battalion Chiefs and a Deputy Chief for a standard response or 3 Engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Battalion Chief and a Deputy Chief for a high rise building response. All additional alarm assignments are for 3 Engines and 1 Truck, with an automatic limit of 21 engines and 5 trucks. The highest alarm level in the system is 7 alarms.

One of the first major enhancements was the integration of computer terminals located in the Fire Stations. This allowed the station personnel and the dispatchers to be notified of company assignments simultaneously.

Another major enhancement was the integration of the City's paging system, which notifies on-call personnel of major incidents and assignments. In the past, these notifications were made manually by telephone.

In 1989, the integration of Mobile Data Terminals (MDT) to the dispatch system allowed the real time distribution of information received by the dispatchers to responding companies. In addition, the information from the Tactical Information System and Fire Hydrant System is easily accessible. This City's MDT system is a cellular design with multiple transmitter and receiver sites. The MDT units currently in use are Motorola Model 9100. In 1989, another major enhancement was the integration of the EMS and the Fire automatic status boards to the computer dispatch system. The MDT's allowed each company to report it's own status changes. The automation of this task allowed the dispatchers to concentrate on current activities rather than having to perform mechanical tasks.

In 1993, Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receivers were installed on all of the Rescue's. The dispatch system was modified to analyze the Vehicle Location data and assign the closest Rescue Unit to each call. Using this system units are assigned based on their distance in street miles from the incident.

As of June, 1996, all of the engines, trucks, Rescue's and battalion chiefs are equipped with a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) receiver. The Computer Dispatch System has been further enhanced to analyze the vehicle location data from all GPS equipped units and assigns the closest unit or units to each incident based on the unit's actual location.