The Solution To The Problems Caused By A Lack Of GPS Signal Inside A Fire Station
Often, firefighting professionals encounter a serious problem with their GPS navigation systems when they leave their fire station in reaction to an emergency call out. Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs) and any other satellite navigation equipment present can fail to provide accurate directions to the incident. This can have serious, and potentially fatal, consequences.
Why Does This Happen?
The issue is due to the way that the building structure blocks the ingress of GPS signals. That means the last “live” signal received by the Mobile Data Terminal (MDT) would be just before the vehicle entered the building and the MDT loses its GPS lock while under cover. Then, when the vehicle leaves the station, the MDT has to re-establish its connection with the satellites and update its route guidance. This can leave a window of several minutes where the device is providing false directions, or no directions at.
This leads to valuable time being wasted with the response team potentially heading in the opposite direction to the emergency. Control centre staff may not know exactly where their resources are, as the MDT will be indicating the appliance’s location as still back at the fire station, until it re-establishes a GPS fix.
With every single minute being critical in an emergency response situation, this is time that fire and rescue crews can’t afford to lose.
How Do You Solve The Problem?
The answer is to invest in a GPS repeater system such as those offered by FalTech GPS. This innovative technology is designed to boost the signal getting to navigation equipment inside response vehicles while they are in the fire station. That means even when parked, the systems are receiving “live” GPS data and do not lose positional lock. When the new destination is entered when leaving the station, MDTs can calculate an accurate route immediately.
What Are The Benefits Of GPS Repeaters?
GPS repeaters have many benefits to offer, the first of which is that drivers will no longer have to second guess the directions they’re receiving for the first few minutes of their journey. They will have complete confidence that the data they are getting is accurate from the moment they leave the fire station. Incident response times are considerably improved, as GPS repeaters will ensure that navigation equipment is always available, minimising the risk of wrong turns and unnecessary delays. Control centre staff can also be sure that they know where all their assets are, all the time.
Invest In A Faltech GPS Repeater System Today
Waiting for a GPS system to initialise when the response team leaves the fire station costs valuable minutes. With a FalTech GPS repeater, you will be able to make sure fire response teams have accurate directions to an incident from the moment they leave. Location information is presented to the driver and to the control centre instantaneously, cutting response times considerably.
To learn more, or to enquire about GPS repeater installation, contact FalTech GPS today.
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