By CHRIS HAIRE, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

A woman driving west on Garfield in Fountain Valley recently saw an unconscious man on the sidewalk. Concerned, she drove to a nearby restaurant and called 911.

The Feb. 21 call was patched through to the Metro Cities Fire Authority in Anaheim, which alerted the Fountain Valley Fire Department.

When dispatch decided which unit to send to find the man lying on the sidewalk, it chose based on the closest station – station one – even though the truck was not in the station.

For more than a decade the Metro Cities Fire Authority, or Metro Net, has used a system that, while adequate, has lacked the modern technology that would allow its dispatchers to more efficiently notify first responders.

But now, the fire authority is in the process of implementing automated vehicle locators (basically advanced GPS) in a system that can signal rescue units to arrive at crises an average of 45 second sooner.

Fountain Valley Fire Department, the smallest of Metro Net’s eight agencies, will be the first one to implement it – essentially becoming the beta tester for the authority.

“We’re always trying to improve our technology,” said Fountain Valley Fire Chief Bart Lewis. “We’ve been working toward this for years.”

Thanks to two federal grants totaling nearly $450,000, the transition is nearly complete, with Fountain Valley Fire Department set to go live within 60 days. Once Fountain Valley has operated under the new system for 30 days, the other seven – Anaheim, Brea, Fullerton, Garden Grove, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach and Orange – will join on in varying capacities.

The difference between the old system and the new is a matter of adaptability. Both processes begin the same way: someone dialing 911 and being connected to a dispatcher, who then alerts the closest unit. Both systems rely upon computerized mapping software (called computer-assisted dispatch, or CAD), which can determine the closest unit in nanoseconds.

Under the old system, however, the computer determined which units to send based on the locations of fire stations as opposed to the actual location of the trucks, engines and ambulances.

The automated vehicle locators will rectify that inefficiency by updating the dispatch computers with the real-time location of the units, allowing them to send whichever truck is nearest a particular emergency.

“It will have a significant impact on response time,” said fire authority manager Gary Gionet, noting that during the day, firefighters may be out of quarters doing anything from training to visiting schools. “(The software) is better at tracking and is more reliable.”

Implementing the automated vehicle locator system is being done in three steps: First, after receiving a $271,000 grant from the federal Urban Areas Securities Initiative last year, the Metro Cities Fire Authority began installing the tracking devices – basically superior Wi-Fi modems – in the trucks. (Anaheim, the last of the cities to receive its modems, will complete its installations by the end of February.) Second, the authority will use another $175,000 grant to upgrade the dispatch center’s software to handle the real-time data transmitted from the trucks. Third, Fountain Valley will test the system.

If there are no bugs – like the network losing a signal, for example – the automated vehicle locator system will go live across the region.

Gionet, though, doesn’t expect any hiccups. Automated vehicle locators have been used in dispatch centers worldwide for a decade. Lewis, in fact, was working for the Santa Rosa Fire Department in Northern California in 2005 when it implemented this same system. They’ve had no problems, Lewis said. And the fire authority went across state lines to research the Phoenix Fire Department’s dispatch system, which became the model, Gionet said.

It was decided by the authority and the eight fire chiefs that it was time for them to implement 21st-century technology.

“It has a lot of potential to help,” said Fountain Valley fire Capt. Bill McQuaid. “It’s bringing the right resources to the right place at the right time.”

Bart Lewis, former fire chief for the city of Orange, became Fountain Valley’s interim fire chief in May. He is mentoring a battalion chief to take over. But until then, he is at the helm of the fire department – overseeing his department’s role in implementing automated vehicle locators. This new process is, in fact, quite familiar to Lewis: He worked for the Santa Rosa Fire Department when it transitioned to the GPS-style dispatch process.

Q: Q.Why is it important to go to this new system?

A: What we’re striving for is a system of knowing where the engines actually are. In our business, getting there quickly is essential. If you can save 45 seconds, it’s huge.

Q: Q.Did you ever have any problems with this system in Santa Rosa?

A: No. Santa Rosa has a lot more storms and rain than Orange County, and we never had an interruption. It’s a strong signal.

Q: Q.Why are you implementing the locators now?

A: The technology has been around for 10 years, but updating the system costs money. We’ve been talking about it for a few years and then we got the grants.

Q: Q.How did Fountain Valley become the tester for the new trackers?

A: I volunteered us. We’re the smallest city and we have few emergencies. It’s very easy to keep an eye on an area this size.

Q: Q.What do your firefighters think about the upgrade?

A: We’re always looking to improve our technology, so most of our guys are really looking forward to it. I know I am. 

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