William Kaempffer , Register Staff
03/16/2004
©New Haven Register 2004

NEW HAVEN — The city is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars upgrading the Fire Department's computer system.

This month, the department went on line with new dispatching software in its 911 operations center, powered by a new mainframe.

"It enables us to be on par with the Police Department in terms of technology and will allow is to build a stronger computer networking system throughout the department," said Assistant Fire Chief Ronald Dumas.

During the next year, the city also hopes to install laptop computers, called mobile data terminals, in the Fire Department fleet.

The city also has replaced desktop computers in officers' quarters and a new system in communications.

The changes amount to a huge step forward for the department.

The new system dramatically increases capabilities to access and analyze information. It also will enable the department to build a database of information that can aid in responding to emergencies, accessed from the wireless laptops.

That information could include the locations of fire hydrants, contact information, any sprinkler or fire suppression systems and a list of hazardous materials that might be stored at particular location, Dumas said.

"That's the goal of the department," Dumas said.

The system is produced by Florida-based HTE Government Software.

For years, the department had been working off a dated system, which was functional but limiting. Under the old system, medical and fire reports still were maintained on paper. Now they will be computerized, Dumas said.

So far, the city has spent roughly $150,000 on the mainframe and software. By the time the process is complete, it could spend several hundred thousand more. City officials had no firm figures Monday.

The new system also has the capability to manage emergency medical response information and track building and fire inspection history at a given address.

The company offers mapping systems, which the city could add down the road.

One enables fire officials, in the event of a hazardous release, to create a map of primary and secondary contamination areas to aid in evacuations plans. Firefighters can factor in atmospheric conditions, wind direction and speed and emission rates.

The police department has used mapping programs for years and the HTE system can give the Fire Department the same capability.

"It's a big step up from what they had," said Richard Tsou, the project manager for the city. "It's a proven technology."