Mansfield, Ohio, Upgrades Fire And Rescue Operations With Firetide Wireless Mesh Network
LOS GATOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To expand and enhance communications within its public safety operations, the city of Mansfield, Ohio, has deployed a wireless mesh network from Firetide Inc, a leading developer of wireless mesh and access networks. Local systems integrator King Office Service Inc. installed a scalable 4.9 GHz mesh network located throughout the city to improve city departments' ability to communicate during emergency and non-emergency situations.
Mansfield, located in the north-central region of the Buckeye State, implemented a multi-phase plan to upgrade its fire and rescue operations with Firetide's 4.9 GHz mesh infrastructure. The first two phases of the wireless mesh project replaced 56 kbps data links at Mansfield's four remote fire stations and a costly T1 line to the city repair garage complex, and also linked fire stations to the local hospital. Before deployment of the Firetide network, connections were limited and communication was slow.
"Our former methods and technology were very cumbersome," said Assistant Fire Chief John Harsch. "For example, the assistant fire chief had to visit each station and the local hospital several times a week to collect data off the standalone computers and then take it all back to the main fire station to download onto the central server. It's a relief to have a system in place that saves time and manpower."
Work is currently underway on phases 3 and 4 of the deployment – connecting the rescue squads' computers to the Firetide network and allowing the city of Mansfield to control traffic signals down the main traffic corridors. The final phase will extend mobile communications to the fire department and rescue teams, allowing them to communicate in a variety of ways while mobile.
King Office Service, the Ohio-based company that planned and installed the Firetide network, worked in partnership with the city of Mansfield. According to Dan Evans, King Office Service's account system consultant, "By installing a Firetide wireless mesh network, the city considerably improved communications capabilities while lowering its overhead costs. Mansfield had been paying monthly communication service fees for T-1 and 56K links for its various departments and teams. Those fees have now been eliminated."
The Firetide wireless mesh network currently consists of indoor and outdoor mesh nodes installed in or on fire stations or city buildings. The mesh connects to City Hall, allowing fire stations to communicate with fire department headquarters and the rest of the city network, and supply Internet and e-mail access. Because Firetide mesh is auto-forming and self-healing, another node will carry the data without interruption if a mesh node were to lose connectivity.
"Our wireless mesh infrastructure enables cities like Mansfield to more effectively coordinate public safety and emergency operations, and enhance the ability of first responders to better protect people and property," said Bo Larsson, chief executive officer of Firetide. "Now, not only does Mansfield have a robust wireless infrastructure for their needs today, but one that can scale easily as their requirements grow to support applications such as real-time video surveillance. We look forward to a continued strong relationship with our partner in this deployment, King Office Services, and the expansion of Mansfield's wireless initiatives."
About Firetide Inc.
Firetide is the leading provider of wireless mesh and access networks that enable concurrent video, voice, and data for municipal, public safety, and enterprise applications. Firetide HotPort® mesh nodes, HotPoint® access points, HotClient™ CPEs, HotView Controller™, and HotView Pro™ network management platform provide a reliable high performance wireless infrastructure and access solution for video surveillance, Internet access, public safety networks and temporary networks wherever rapid deployment, mobility and ease of installation are required. Headquartered in Los Gatos, Calif., Firetide is a privately held company with worldwide product distribution. www.firetide.com.
About King Office Service
King Office Service, Inc. is a local systems integrator serving Mansfield and the surrounding area since 1954. In addition to office technology consulting and integration, KOSI specializes in Local and Wide Area Networking, Wireless data and Wireless Video surveillance technology. www.kingoffice.com
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