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Fire Department - Fire Communications Bureau

The City of Baltimore Consolidated Communications Center

800 MHz Project Fire, Police, Public Services

In 1995, the City of Baltimore awarded Motorola, Inc a contract to design and build a state of the art radio and Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system. Phase I, involved the construction of nine antenna sites connected by a fiber optic SONET ring, the ACC, and the installation of the Fire Department radios and CAD. Completed in July of 1998, the system has given outstanding performance to the Fire Service during major emergencies such as the Charles Towers fire and recent activities related to hurricane Floyd.

With the November, 1999, cutover of Police and Public Services, the City will enjoy the full potential of a shared system including:

Mapping display of emergency locations
System redundancy to ensure maximum reliability
Single call for service will generate multi-agency response
Inter-agency communications at major emergencies
Automated service calls for better tracking and follow-up
Shared resources, information, facilities, equipment and costs
Enhanced coverage in buildings, tunnels and all areas of the City
Emergency button for life threatening situations
Automatic Vehicle Locators (AVL)on Medic Units

Vendors

The following have contributed to the success of this complex project:

Motorola - Prime Contractor, radios
TRW - Facilities, computer integration
Tiburon - CAD, AVL, Mapping
Bell Atlantic - 911 interface, phones
BANI - SONET Fiber backbone
Dynatech - Installations, networks

A Brief History of Fire Communications

For over 137 years the Fire Communications Bureau has, in some shape or form, been at the heart of fire and emergency communications. The current Fire Communications Bureau, consisting of various Fire, Dispatch, Radio, Line Maintenance, and Information Systems professionals, has evolved parallel to the technology of the times.

First established in 1858 as the Fire and Police Telegraph Bureau, through an ordinance passed by then Mayor, The Honorable Thomas Swann; Baltimore City Fire Communications had its humble beginnings with a 15 mile/30 box alarm system installed by Gamewell Phillips & Co. at a cost of $33,000. This first communications office opened on July 1,1859 in the "old" City Hall 225 N. Holiday, now home to the famous Peale Museum.

On March 17, 1877 the Baltimore City Council passed an ordinance putting Police and Fire Telegraph under the control of the City Fire Commissioners. In November of that same year Gamewell once again updated the fire alarm system to a level then referred to as "the most complete of any in the world", at a cost of $55,000. On May 1, 1896 the "Fire Alarm and Telegraph Office" saw its first move; to the 4th floor of the current City Hall, in the front east room of the dome.

During the Great Baltimore Fire of 1904, fire alarm technology was put to the test. 52 box alarms were received and transmitted for blazes sparked by flying brands and embers. At no time was there the slightest failure of the fire alarm and telegraph system.

The roaring 20's saw further upgrading of City Fire Communications. On May 10, 1923 the new central Fire Alarm office was placed into active service at its current home on the second floor of 410 E. Lexington St. City street alarm boxes then totaled 1122 at an upgrade cost of $313,552.

On February 20, 1953 twoÄway radio was placed into active service. The Bureau's first radio shop was established in the station of Engine 30. In the 1960's the Bureau updated once again, moving forward with the advent of transistors. General Railway Signal Corp. installed what was called, "the most modern and efficient [system] in the U.S.". By the 1970's the Bureau name had been changed to the Fire Communications Bureau. And as the "Computer Age" came to be realized; The Fire Communications Bureau was there, with the implementation of its current CAD (Computer Aided Dispatch) system in 1981. The current system utilizes a Motorola VHF high band radio system with 8 channels broadcasting in the 154 mhz range. The Bureau's Dispatch center phone lines are directly linked to Police Headquarters and the state-wide E-911 system.

Now, as both the City and Technological advancements grow, the Baltimore City Fire Department is once again meeting the challenge with a new state-of-the-art 800 Mhz SONET Backbone Radio and CAD System. With the opening of the new combined Emergency Communications Center (ECC) Fire Communications moves aggressively into the 21st Century. Featured in this new system is a SONET Fiber Optic Backbone, AVL (Automatic Vehicle Locators), and new-and-improved CAD/MIS and Radio sub-systems. The new system also features base map links to the City's current GIS (Geographic Information System). The ECC located at 601 E. Fayette Street, shares the new 800 Mhz system with Police and Public Works, providing total compatibility between all City Public Safety Agencies. With new system benefits ranging from, faster Emergency Medical Services, a more reliable 911 system, a more coordinated City response to major crisis, better response to citizen complaints, to the creation of a dynamic Fiber Optic ring; The Fire Department and its Communications Bureau continues to better serve Baltimore's citizens through staff dedication and it's implementation of Technology.