Category Archives: Public Safety

Communications to support first responders, law enforcement (LEO), fire departments, emergency crews, ambulance / EMS, etc.

Making the world safer, one channel at a time.

0
Posted by Dan S. on November 25, 2009 – 4:50 pm
Filed under Public Safety

We at RebelVox are grateful for the privilege of participating in the UrbanShield event hosted by the Alameda County Sheriff’s office last month, helping select first responder organizations increase their preparedness to serve their communities against a wide variety of threats.

We worked with communications officers responsible for coordinating a large number of people, activities, and information transfer needs.  They used RebelVox software primarily for reporting scores and status of the exercise teams during the 48 hour event.  As you would expect, there was initial hesitation facing a new tool. Quickly, however, our users grasped that mixing text and voice, live and recorded, with immediate on-screen recall and replay had advantages over typical Live-only tactical communications.  They saw first hand, a unified system that can enhance radios, and replace notes, faxes, calls, and runners. They could picture incorporating this technology into their day-to-day communications fabric. It is always a great learning experience to put technology in the hands of real world users; here, gaining feedback from people working in a variety of public safety agencies.

Through our small UrbanShield pilot deployment, we have learned even more about the needs of such tactical users, and while we were glad to observe the positive reactions, quick usage adoption, and actual activity involving our new communication technology, we have also generated new ideas for how RebelVox can contribute solutions to this area.  We look forward to even more interaction in this arena.

RebelVox for Dispatchers

RebelVox for Dispatchers

Operations reviewing UrbanShield via RebelVox

Operations reviewing UrbanShield via RebelVox

Urban Shield, Where SWAT Teams Apply and Hone Their Skills

0
Posted by Dan S. on October 23, 2009 – 11:06 am
Filed under Public Safety

This weekend, throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, the Urban Shield event takes place. A major training event for teams from emergency response and public safety jurisdictions, it draws many from Alameda County and several of the other surrounding Northern California counties, some from across the United States, and a couple from out of the country. Billed as “a real-life multidisciplinary training exercise”, each team works through a series of emergency scenarios of various sorts that have been designed and crafted by local jurisdictions and sponsors. They are challenged by the scenarios one by one, non-stop over a 48 hour period.

This is an important opportunity for our public emergency response teams to experience events in the field that come as close as possible to real crisis situations. They face challenges both physical and intellectual to execute on their training in preparation for dangerous incidents and public safety threats. Since they are scored on their success in each scenario, there is a winner at the end of the long weekend–a team that proves itself most capable of meeting each of the exercise obstacles.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Office hosts Urban Shield, now in it’s 3rd year, supported by Homeland Security Grant funds. The program is being adopted by other jurisdictions across the United States and in other countries.

RebelVox is proud to be a sponsor and technology provider for the 2009 event.

If you want to learn more about the Urban Shield event, click to their website.