New Voice Alert System Streamlining Call Response

Her words tumble from fire station loudspeakers in robotic blocks, ubiquitous enunciations that send fire crews and ambulances rolling down city streets, sirens blaring. Roanoke fire officials claim the voice – feminine, unwavering, precise – contributes to a decrease in response times. And it comes from a machine; a dispatch tool that draws from a trove of prerecorded street names and commands, bought and paid for with city capital improvement funds. The voice alert system was just one of several new technologies installed at the city fire department in recent months, a move aimed at streamlining call response and keeping radio airwaves clear.