Smartphone app helps firefighters in Atl. Co.
LINWOOD - When responding to an emergency, every second counts - and to improve response times, firefighters in Linwood are now using a cell phone application to help save lives.
Typically, when a fire department gets a call, not all of the company's firefighters are at the station. For the Linwood Fire Department, in the past, officials say it was difficult to figure out how many firefighters were going to be there to help fight the flames.
Frank Gabriel is a firefighter with the Linwood Fire Department and told NBC40, "Well when you're waiting on guys, you kind of keep looking over your....Continue Reading
shoulders to see who is coming." And for first responders, a few seconds can mean the difference between life and death. "Time is of the essence when it comes to fighting fires," added Gabriel.
But now, when there's a fire, instead of waiting for their guys to show up, or relying on outdated pagers, a smartphone app lets them know where their firefighters are, and if they're going to respond.
Gabriel said, "In the past, it was a waiting game - but now you know exactly whose coming and how far they're out."
Chick Kisby, Chief of the Linwood Fire Department, said, "Right now, it's going to run us about $300 a year for this system."
The Spotted Dog dispatch response system connects every firefighter in the department via their cellphone or tablet.
When a call comes into the fire department, the station will send a signal to the firefighters. The app then lets the first responders quickly respond that they are either on the way to the station, on the way to the fire, or that they're off duty. Kisby explained, "When he goes out, he can look up at the screen and tell who’s coming and who’s responding."
The technology also allows them to locate every single fire hydrant in the area to which they're responding. Gabriel told NBC40, "It gives us better location on the hydrants. I mean, there's plenty of times when you go where you don't know exactly where the hydrant is and this gives you the exact location of the hydrant; feet; where it's at; so on and so forth."
Linwood fire officials say the technology gives them an advantage to respond more quickly, more effectively, and more information…right at their fingertips.
Linwood joins 13 other fire departments in Atlantic County who are using the Spotted Dog technology.
The Elwood Vol Fire Company is currently using Active 911 for it's dispatch alerts.
