- VR615 added as a critical part of E9-1-1 upgrade
Just a narrow body of water separates the once sleepy hamlet of Hoboken, NJ from Manhattan, NY, the epicenter of world commerce and culture. While the one square-mile township remains a close-knit community, the Hoboken Fire Department (FD) is anything but a small town operation. With a staff of 130 and four state-of-the-art stations, the Hoboken FD is regarded as one of the nation’s leading departments and its independent call center is the backbone of all operations.
Leading the Way
Hoboken FD’s vigilant commitment to safety and emergency response led to its designation as a Class 1 rating in Public Protection Classification in 1996. At the time, only a select number of departments nationwide reached Class 1 rating, issued by the Insurance Services Office. Obtaining the ranking was not an overnight process. Hoboken FD worked diligently throughout the 1980s and 1990s to improve every level of operation in order to better serve the changing community.
“Our communications center has come a long way since its inception with the fire department over a century ago,” said Deputy Chief and Operations Officer August Schwarz. “Back then a communications center was a man in a tower looking out for fire. Today, we operate a highly sophisticated digital system that puts our dispatchers at the heart of our operations. We may be a small community with respect to geography, but we remain a leading department in safety and technology innovation.”
Colorful History
Hoboken FD is not the first groundbreaking entity in the town’s history. Situated along the Hudson River, Hoboken has produced many momentous events: Edison’s launch of the first steam train bound for nearby Montclair; birthplace of baseball; and home of Hoboken’s favorite son, Frank Sinatra.
Over the years, Hoboken moved from a cozy community to a busy commuter hub. New Jersey Transit established Hoboken as a connection point for the state’s commuter rails to the PATH, a direct subway train to Manhattan. In the 1980s, Hoboken’s demographics began to change with an increase in population, due largely to its proximity to Manhattan. More residents were moving to Hoboken for its short, convenient commute into New York. As a result, the residential development migrated from smaller tenement housing to high-rise complexes resting on the Hudson. Today, Hoboken has a population of 45,000 with nearly 250,000 daily commuters passing through the township. The change in community brought new challenges to Hoboken FD: more complex building floor plans to navigate; synthetic building materials that could become toxic in emergency incidents; and the greater need for seamless communication between responders and dispatchers.
Technology Upgrades
Under the guidance of Department Chief John Cassesa, great emphasis was placed on using advanced technologies to maximize efficiency and address the changing community. After extensive research and evaluation of the department’s operations, Cassesa laid out a two-phase communications system upgrade to better equip the entire staff for any scenario. The upgrade involves new equipment and new procedures to enhance department operations, allowing for smoother dissemination of information.
“The movement of the community toward high-rise residential structures placed responsibility on the department to have a greater understanding of each individual building site plan,” said Schwarz. “Pre-planning has become paramount to our operations, demanding that we have a familiarity with every building and every option available to us. The communications system upgrade gives us the tools to perform our tasks more efficiently and in a safer manner for all parties.”
Phase One
Phase one included a significant investment in communications center operations. Battalion Chief Michael Turner oversaw the purchase of two Zetron Model 4020 radio dispatch consoles (Redmond, Wash.) with E9-1-1 functions that link directly to RedAlert CAD software for access to building floor plans. A RedAlert Client Server Enterprise System by Alpine Software (Pittsford, N.Y.) was implemented to support operations in all four locations and an Eventide (Little Ferry, N.J.) digital voice recorder was installed to log all communications.
“Equipment was selected after thorough review and research. We take great pride in our work and expect our equipment manufacturers to do the same,” said Battalion Chief Turner. “We choose our equipment in a very detailed, thorough process. Our ability to quickly and efficiently respond to emergencies is paramount, so our equipment is very important. If a manufacturer will not stand by its product under rigorous conditions, we won’t buy it.”
The department fields over 4,000 calls annually, making it one of the busiest departments in the country per square mile. To ensure each call is received and managed properly, the department uses the Eventide VR615 Digital Voice Recorder as the backbone of the communications center. The VR615 provides the department with the most functionality and flexibility to meet the needs of the communications center. The VR615 runs on a Linux-based operating system and records all call and radio transmissions.
“Our system is PC-based, so we needed a logger that could work seamlessly within our new network design,” said Ed White, Hoboken FD Communications Coordinator. “With our high volume of incoming calls, ease of recall was a very important feature in our selection process. And of course, reliability was a must. The Eventide VR615 matches our needs perfectly and operates well on our PC platform.”
All 9-1-1 calls come directly to the communications center dispatchers. The dispatcher collects information from the caller and disseminates to all firehouses via the VAS system and to all responders on the ground through wireless radio communications. As responders depart firehouses for the location of interest, tear sheets of the building plans are generated from Red Alert and given to each company. Dispatchers access all pre-plan information on their computers as they maintain constant contact with each company and the caller, providing additional information as it becomes available and monitoring movement onsite.
“Information is critical on arrival and throughout the response process,” said Schwarz. “This process optimizes access to information and enhances our fire ground operations. Our responders are better equipped because they have a greater knowledge of positioning and the concerns of the building. Our dispatchers are better equipped because they have the tools to draw more information from each call and can manage every aspect of communications for central command.”
Phase Two
With the purchase and basic installation of all equipment complete, Hoboken has now entered phase two of its communications system upgrade: transition towards a fully digital, paperless communications and reporting operations. Since communications programs are never static, Hoboken FD views the phase as an ongoing transition in which the will constantly strife to update and refine their operations to keep current with the latest technologies and methods. The department is currently in the formatting and training portion of the phase, configuring the CAD Software according to their needs in cooperation with Alpine Software.
The long-range goal is to further streamline the communication process, where onsite responders will be equipped with wireless, handheld devices that send them building plans and communications, replacing the tear sheets. All reporting will be generated and stored electronically. Similar to the logging function philosophy of the Eventide VR615, phase two will enable anyone in the department to instantly access information stored digitally to within the network. In addition, phase two will double the monitoring capacity of the communications center with a second Zetron Model 4020 dispatch console.
Training/Certification
All newly hired dispatchers are partnered with an experienced dispatcher as part of Hoboken FD’s real time developmental approach toward dispatcher competency. The real time training in addition to the department’s constant review training of standard operating procedures provides new dispatchers a well-rounded learning atmosphere.
“The issue of firefighting terminology and practices has never been much of an issue in our department,” said Schwarz. “As the communications center is located at fire headquarters, with a constant firefighter presence and contact, any dispatchers who have no prior fire service experience are schooled daily in ‘the language’ of the fire service during daily interaction and conversation with their fire service experienced partner, as well as firefighters and Tour Commanders.”
In addition, all dispatchers learn the terminology from their review training of the standard operating procedures of the department, and the standard procedures for dispatchers. At the Hoboken Division of Fire, we treat every action and interaction as part of a learning model.
The State of New Jersey Division of Fire Safety is currently conducting introductory training for all company officers to use the NFIRS 5.0 (National Fire Incident Reporting System) based reporting module. The training, provided by the state and Hudson County E9-1-1, provides a 40-hour course for all dispatch staff. In addition, all Hoboken FD dispatchers receive APCO certification and frequently revisit the latest specifications. Most training revolves around mastering the standard operating procedures. Since dispatchers must simultaneously interact with a caller and the responders on the ground, it is crucial for each dispatcher to be well versed in firefighter terminology and practices. Their ability to detect events outside the ordinary can be the difference that saves lives. Thus, the Hoboken FD looks to the dispatchers as the lifeline that monitors communications for all operations.
“The dispatchers have the pulse of every situation,” said Schwarz. “They alone can monitor the positioning of each responder via wireless radio and when each communication is broadcast. They are our eyes in the sky.”
While technology plays a large role in the operations of the Hoboken FD, the most valuable assets are the people. Chief Cassesa mandates frequent and extensive training for all staff members. Formal training is conducted periodically by outside professional consultants to ensure the department’s reviews are objective and that the staff is exposed to new techniques. As each new high-rise comes online, the department obtains full building plans and develops pre-plans to multiple emergency scenarios. Dispatchers maintain comprehensive pre-plan information and direct communications throughout real-life situations and training operations. In addition, the department enacts twice-daily training sessions when time is permitting. Morning and afternoon sessions provide the department opportunities to constantly revisit procedures and pre-plan scenarios.
“We pride ourselves on training and the level of preparedness of the department,” said Schwarz. “Since we offer such a wide array of services, it is vital that all staff remain intimately familiar with the pre-plan procedures. In the morning we could be fighting a fire. In the afternoon we could be conducting a massive scuba diving rescue. We must maintain a constant vigilance to preparedness and we do this through training.”
The Keys to Success
Hoboken FD must be prepared for many fronts. In addition to firefighting operations, Hoboken FD protects the New Jersey shore of the Hudson River, including water rescue, scuba surface and scuba diving rescue operations. In addition, Hoboken is located less than three miles from the former World Trade Center site, bringing enhanced emphasis on Hazmat, building collapse and high angle training.
“All the technology is only as good as the staff operating it,” said Schwarz. “Anyone supervising a communications center must recognize the people of the department are the key to all success. Take pride in your staff and they will take pride in their work.”