INTRODUCTION

Located west of Colorado Springs, CO, the all-volunteer Florissant Fire Department is prepared to serve their community and thousands of visitors annually from all over the Pikes Peak region and beyond.

Florissant Fire Rescue provides structural and wild land firefighting services, first response medical care, basic hazardous materials response, and a variety of other rescue services.

The Florissant Fire Department facility is also used by local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies for training and investigations. Training is essential and the only way to ensure the safety of first responders, which gives them the confidence to act in hazardous circumstances.

THE CHALLENGE

The Florissant Fire Department needed to update its training technology to meet mission critical demands and restore the EOC and Training Facility to its place as a premiere community center for training and public service. Reliable technology is critical to minimizing firefighter injury or death, saving the lives of victims, and reducing or preventing extensive property damage.

THE SOLUTION

Jim Pope, Diamond Master Programmer, Applied Global Technologies and Allen D. Schultz, Project Lead, designed and deployed a solution based on a Crestron DigitalMedia™ Presentation System with AirMedia® wireless presentation technology.

THE TECHNOLOGY

It was imperative to provide first responders with the tools to assess the scene quickly, know what to do, and how to do it.

“The nature of emergency medicine has changed quite a bit. With Crestron we are able to utilize technology to enhance our training and response at the scene and be better prepared when emergencies arise,” explains Schultz.

Now, photos and videos from the scene are transmitted to the station and then instantly shown on large displays via AirMedia. This enables officers to assess an event in less time, better anticipate needs and allocate resources, and provide real-time direction to first responders.

Versatile DigitalMedia technology plays a critical role in training and communications. With the department becoming more and more reliant on multimedia for training, DigitalMedia enables them to view instructional videos on 4k displays throughout the facility and prepare briefing materials on multiple workstations which can then be shared to the main display.

RESULTS

The Florissant Fire Department is not only a hub for training, but also a command center for multiple agencies, such as the FBI, CBI, and others during emergencies. The Crestron system is adaptable to the mission critical demands of the station and has proved integral to the department’s ability to make a difference when the community is in crisis.