Unified Response - Table 1: Benefits of Participating in Verdugo's Regional Fire Communications Center

• Costs of personnel and computer, phone, dispatch and radio communication systems are shared between multiple agencies, lowering each agency's share and eliminating unnecessary and costly redundancy;
• Dispatchers who specialize in fire and rescue, who are able to provide Emergency Medical Dispatch instructions to callers prior to the arrival of paramedics;
• Centralized coordination of "unified responses" within the Area C mutual aid system;
• Fast access to OES Region I resources;
• Common radio frequencies enable relatively seamless operations on major incidents, increased safety on the fireground and faster initial responses;
• Redundancy of critical radio, telephone, and computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems prevents unnecessary interruptions in service;
• Fire Stations are alerted automatically through CAD, which provides a hard-copy printout and displays dispatch information on mobile computer terminals (MCT's);
• Status changes and movements are recorded using MCT's, reducing radio channel congestion;
• Notifications to key personnel are automatically triggered by alarm level or incident type through CAD, or manually by the dispatchers;
• Detailed incident history information is recorded through CAD;
• The "ReddiNet" hospital status system displays local hospital emergency department status for EMS incidents;
• Monthly Task Force meetings are held where Battalion Chiefs share decision making and keep their colleagues in the other Area C agencies updated and informed;
• In-depth statistical analysis of fire and rescue incidents using data captured by the CAD system; and
• The CAD upgrade currently in progress will include mapping and automatic vehicle location capabilities, providing an ongoing visual record of unit locations relative to incident locations and helping to avoid “gaps” in deployment.