Post by KB3FCK on Jan 27, 2008 17:55:56 GMT -5
Anne Arundel’s Advanced Mobile Command Unit Delivers Emergency Communications from Anywhere
Annapolis, Maryland—If a disaster strikes Anne Arundel County, be it natural or man made, the county is ready to defend its residents and businesses with the new-state-of-the-art Mobile Command and Control Unit in partnership with ARINC.
County Executive Janet S. Owens announced the cutting edge system, which will allow communication interaction with every emergency agency during a crisis situation.
“Public safety has been, and will continue to be one of my top priorities, and this Mobile Command and Control Unit makes Anne Arundel County the first in the nation, to connect neighboring counties, state and federal emergency officials to all other law enforcement agencies.”
The key to connecting so many diverse emergency agencies at once is the ARINC AWINSTM technology—the only interoperability technology to be awarded a multi-county interoperability contract following U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFECOM guidelines. AWINS has also received enthusiastic reviews following recent trials by multiple jurisdictions in Massachusetts and Florida.
MCCU-1 is a state-of-the-art mobile command unit with multiple types of radio capability, broadband wireless, video, and a satellite link. But what makes it unique is the ARINC Wireless Interoperable Network Solutions (AWINS) radio interoperability solution that’s inside. AWINS make the MCCU into a complete mobile Incident Command Post (ICP) that can be used across the entire state of Maryland.
MCCU-1 was showcased in a public demonstration hosted by Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens. Press and local government officials took turns watching as Fire and Police officers put the MCCU through its electronic paces at the Annapolis headquarters of ARINC Incorporated.
One scheduled demonstration called for a police helicopter to fly over and send live video of a mock situation to the MCCU, where officers monitored the images and relayed them to police headquarters by satellite link to the county’s main network. Various Maryland state agencies and law enforcement officers also participated—all using different radios and equipment. Engineers were available to discuss the technologies on the vehicle.
The unit is also equipped with IP phones that are interconnected over a satellite link and appear as local telephone extensions at the county’s Emergency Communications Center headquarters. This allows easy access from the county’s Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) to the remote MCCU. In fact, the MCCU can become a “PSAP on wheels.”
For interoperability to be affordable, users must be able retain their existing investment in radios, communications systems, and networks. AWINS enables this by converting all types of radio signals, phone signals, cellular transmissions—even network data—into a common format—Internet Protocol (IP). Users are able to take advantage of their existing networks, private networks of choice, or even commercial networks.
Anne Arundel County is the first municipality in the U.S. to install AWINS technology in a mobile command unit. Gerald F. Ford, Vice President of ARINC Public & Enterprise Solutions, stated ”ARINC as a technology leader is delighted to have been selected by Anne Arundel County as its partner—to deliver best-in-class emergency service capabilities to the county.”
ARINC Incorporated is the world leader in transportation communications and systems engineering. The company develops and operates communications and information processing systems and provides systems engineering and integration solutions to five key industries: airports, aviation, defense, government, and surface transportation. Founded to provide reliable and efficient radio communications for the airlines, ARINC is headquartered in Annapolis, Maryland, and operates key regional offices in London and Singapore, with over 3,000 employees worldwide. ARINC is ISO 9001:2000 certified.