Automated dispatching can be implemented in a variety of variations. Colorado-based Locution Systems Inc., for example, offers an advanced automated dispatching system that also automates fire station controls such as lighting, tone alarms and bay doors. No matter the variations, however, the outcome is better dispatch times. The company's CADVoice system has been installed by departments in several major U.S. cites.

Simultaneous dispatching saves time

One major Pacific Northwest department built an Internet protocol network to transfer data from the communications center to the department's multiple stations. Of note, the department's IP network is not actually part of the Internet — it is simply a dedicated high-speed data network that uses standard Internet communications protocols.

One recent incident was a large structure fire that required multiple units from multiple stations. The system log files from this incident indicated that 12 dispatches reached 12 locations in less than 0.1 seconds. By comparison, 12 dispatches sent on a serial connection would have taken several seconds.

Automated versus manual dispatching

At a large southwestern city, one station's dispatch log files covering an 11-day period were reviewed to compare the actual times associated with automated dispatches with the historical times associated with manual dispatching. Significant dispatch time-savings had been achieved:

• Building fire: 2 minutes, 24 seconds
• Traffic accident: 3 minutes, 5 seconds
• Smoke investigation: 2 minutes, 42 seconds
• Cardiac call: 1 minute, 21 seconds

Improvements to response times

This large city department reviewed its incident data log files from before and after installing an automated dispatch system. The review indicated significant and consistent improvements in response times after automated dispatching was installed. Specifically, the log file comparison indicated that automated dispatching is cutting dispatch time an average of more than 30 seconds per incident.

Automated dispatching reminders

Here are four tips for fire departments considering a switch to automated dispatching.

1. Review your current CAD logs. If you have issues regarding response times, consider automating your dispatching to both reduce stress and speed response times.

2. If you do automate your dispatching, an IP network is the ideal primary alerting data path. An IP network provides the best blend of speed and cost-effectiveness.

3. If you choose to automate your dispatching, select a high-clarity voice technology, such as concatenated speech. Concatenated speech technology provides the best blend of consistency and clarity.

4. Choose an automated dispatching system that can provide simultaneous dispatching. Being able to send multiple dispatches to multiple locations at the same time is critical to reducing call stacking and improving response times.