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Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs)
Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) with
electronic maps and preplans are in each of our emergency response vehicles.
This sophisticated tool provides firefighters with the quickest route to an
incident, as well as custom, detailed floor, and site plans of commercial
buildings, schools, apartment complexes,
condominiums, churches,
high-rise buildings, and hazardous materials locations.
Information maintained in the system includes:
·
Occupancy Type (assembly, business,
educational, institution,
mercantile, etc.)
·
Fire
Protection Systems
·
Alternate Water Source
·
Building Construction
·
Roof
Construction, Material, Type
·
Exterior Wall Construction
·
Utility Location
·
Alarm
Panel
·
Hydrant Location
Developed by
Mapping Solutions Inc.,
this system is one of the most advanced mapping and planning systems used
anywhere in the country and was
possible thanks to voter
approval of a
local option
levy
in November 2004.
TVF&R MDTs in
the News (5.4 MB) - Courtesy of
Fox 12 News
Benefit to Firefighters
MDTs not
only improve the effectiveness and efficiency of our responders,
but also increases the safety of all persons involved. Historically, firefighters have had to
rely on an antiquated system of hand-drawn and
rudimentary computer-rendered maps. These maps were housed in a
loose-leaf notebook and firefighters would literally 'thumb-through"
the notebook while driving Code 3 to a destination.
With preloaded
electronic maps and touch-screen monitors, within seconds emergency
responders can access maps with the quickest
route to a destination. In addition, the system
 contains maps
with important details about commercial structures including floor
plans, fire resistance rating of roofs and walls, on-site dangerous
or explosive chemicals, hydrant locations, exits, utility turn-offs, and after-hour
business contacts.
Another asset of the system
is the ability to store photographs, video clips, and aerial maps of
a building. This is extremely beneficial to firefighters as
they attempt to locate a victim and/or extinguish a fire in a dark,
large and unfamiliar structure.
Unlike previous hand-drawn or
computer-rendered maps, the new electronic maps utilize a consistent
design template (layout,
symbols,
etc.). This standardized template enables emergency responders to make
quick tactical decisions and identify obstacles.
Examples:
Old Map
New
Mapping Software
New
Preplan Software
Benefit to Businesses and Commercial
Properties
Having detailed
information about your business enables firefighters to quickly
mitigate your emergency. Knowledge of building layout can help
firefighters move efficiently through dark and unfamiliar corridors to extinguish a fire,
rescue and
treat a patient, or stop the release of dangerous chemicals.
With utility shutoff details at their
fingertips, emergency responders can quickly turn off water systems,
which reduce water damage and restoration costs.
Obtaining Site Plan Information
There are approximately 4,000
businesses and commercial properties within TVF&R's service area that
will be contacted about their participation in this program. We have
contracted with
Mapping Solutions, Inc. to gather preplan information on each
site. All compiled preplan information is for
emergency responder use only, and will not be released to
the general public.
It is our goal to minimize the impact on
our business partners. Letters explaining the process and
desired information for our database will be sent to businesses over
the next six months. To expedite the process and/or possibly
eliminate the need for an onsite visit from Mapping Solutions, Inc.,
businesses can forward any blueprint or site-plan information of
their facility directly to Mapping Solutions, Inc. via email.
Participation in the program is not
mandatory. However, it is our hope that businesses and commercial properties will see that
this basic fire safety information is not only a benefit to
themselves, it is also a benefit to their employees, tenants, and
local firefighters.
Information Security
Preplan information is for
emergency responder use only, and will not be released to
the general public. We have
contracted with
Mapping Solutions, Inc. to gather preplan information for each
site. Mapping Solutions, Inc. is a
private company based in Oregon City that has provided service to the telecommunications and emergency services
industry (9-1-1, ambulance,
police and fire) for 24 years.
Updates to the MDTs via the main
database are built for close-range transmissions only and encrypted
for optimum security. |
