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DFR Locution System Memo

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department has been experiencing delays in its 20-year old fire station alerting system. Efforts to replace circuit boards, update operating systems, and identify a working computer image have been unsuccessful in fixing the issue. As an interim solution, an additional dispatcher has been manually monitoring units to prevent delays. The system will be evaluated by the vendor to assess solutions and prevent future problems. Funding is in place for a new alerting system to be identified and implemented as a long-term solution in fiscal year 2022.

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Mark Schnyder
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1K views2 pages

DFR Locution System Memo

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department has been experiencing delays in its 20-year old fire station alerting system. Efforts to replace circuit boards, update operating systems, and identify a working computer image have been unsuccessful in fixing the issue. As an interim solution, an additional dispatcher has been manually monitoring units to prevent delays. The system will be evaluated by the vendor to assess solutions and prevent future problems. Funding is in place for a new alerting system to be identified and implemented as a long-term solution in fiscal year 2022.

Uploaded by

Mark Schnyder
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Memorandum

DATE October 8, 2021 CITY OF DALLAS


TO Honorable Members of the Public Safety Committee

SUBJECT Dallas Fire-Rescue’s Locution Reporting System

The Dallas Fire-Rescue Department is experiencing intermittent delays with our fire station
alerting system (Locution Systems Incorporated). We have been working with the City of Dallas’
Information and Technology Services (ITS) and Give True Service (GTS) to resolve this issue.

The current system was implemented 20 years ago, was highly customized when put in place,
is several software versions behind, and has several physical hardware components that are
more than 10 years old. Additionally, the system is also overly complex, difficult to monitor in an
automated fashion and tough to troubleshoot when a problem occurs.

In an effort to stabilize the current system, ITS has replaced the circuit board in the alerting system
in each of our fire stations to handle the new station alert computers and Windows 10 software
upgrade. Next, they worked to identify a working alert computer image to copy to all station
computers, which was unsuccessful. Finally, the upgrade from the Windows 7 operating system
to Windows 10 was also unsuccessful in fixing this issue.

While we continue to search for solutions, DFR has incorporated a strategy that allows us to
monitor the system to prevent delays when dispatching emergency response units from our fire
stations. In the interim, an additional dispatcher has been dedicated to manually monitor units
city-wide to prevent delays in response. When a potential delay occurs, the dispatcher manually
notifies the station/unit to respond.

DFR is working with ITS to have our station alerting system evaluated by Locution Systems
Incorporated. This assessment will provide the department with a baseline condition of the
system and the solutions needed to make it fully operational. ITS has arranged for a
representative from Locution to conduct these tasks on Monday, October 18, 2021. This will allow
DFR to discuss with ITS and Locution representative’s methods and maintenance programs that
will prevent the reoccurrence of system issues.

Lastly, funding for a new system is in place for fiscal year 2022. We will be working with ITS to
identify and implement a new station alerting system as soon as possible for a long-term solution
to this problem.

Jon Fortune
Assistant City Manager

“Our Product is Service”


Empathy | Ethics | Excellence | Equity
DATE October 8, 2021
SUBJECT Dallas Fire-Rescue’s Locution Reporting System

c: T.C. Broadnax, City Manager Majed A. Al-Ghafry, Assistant City Manager


Chris Caso, City Attorney Joey Zapata, Assistant City Manager
Mark Swann, City Auditor Dr. Eric A. Johnson, Chief of Economic Development and Neighborhood Services
Bilierae Johnson, City Secretary M. Elizabeth Reich, Chief Financial Officer
Preston Robinson, Administrative Judge M. Elizabeth (Liz) Cedillo-Pereira, Chief of Equity, and Inclusion
Kimberly Bizor Tolbert, Chief of Staff to the City Manager Directors and Assistant Directors

“Our Product is Service”


Empathy | Ethics | Excellence | Equity

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