Deployed: Emergency Management Communications for Rapid Deploy Command Centers
Situation:
A Louisiana parish required a rapidly deployable mobile command center to provide on-site command and control at disaster sites and to act as a redundant 911 call center. Disaster preparedness is a high priority in Louisiana. Redundancy and mobility are crucial for governmental organizations to be able to respond quickly and effectively when disasters occur. Rapid deployment of communication systems between all public service organizations is critical to effective disaster response. Traditionally, on-site disaster response has been limited by deployment time, the high levels of technical expertise required, and a high level of complexity due to multiple communications platforms.
The parish’s emergency communications requirements presented several specific challenges. The customer needed to be able to rapidly deploy the mobile command center to any site across the 270 square mile parish and initiate communications in under 10 minutes. In addition, the wireless broadband would be deployed by nontechnical personnel. Finally, the parish required a minimum of 100 Mbps throughput for voice and video communications.
Solution:
Integrated with a 4.9GHz (PTP600) wireless broadband radio from Cambium Networks, the BATS’ BTS-50 was able to locate, lock onto, and track the wireless broadband connection between the mobile command center and one of four towers arranged across the coverage area. The mobile command center and the towers both utilized the BTS-50 to provide 360° of coverage ability from each tower using directional antennas to provide the range and throughput required to reach all areas of the parish.
The BTS-50 was able to easily and rapidly deploy the connectivity needed. The system integrated with GPS was able to automatically locate and optimize on the nearest available connection point in under 2 minutes using a simple automated aligning process requiring no technical expertise by the operator. The system’s 360° scanning capability allowed for connectivity to be achieved in any orientation and at any site across the 270 square mile coverage area. The 200–280 Mbps of bandwidth allowed the mobile command center to use a communication platform that seamlessly integrated voice, video, and data transmissions between all public safety organizations simultaneously. The platform was designed to work with all existing communication platforms, including short wave radio and two-way video communications to other mobile service vehicles. The single integrated platform allowed for reduced personnel training and expertise, as well as faster rapid deployment at disaster sites.
The ease of use, reliability, and bandwidth provided by the BTS-50 allow the parish to be truly prepared for any situation. Whether it be a hurricane, chemical spill, or plane crash, the parish can now quickly and effectively respond with personnel that have limited technical knowledge as fast as possible while maintaining seamless communication between all resources available in the area or on the scene.
