Dixon Fire Department Battalion Chief Nick Warren said the new fire department technology offers better response time in life-saving situations. Photo courtesy of the City of Dixon

DIXON, CA (MPG) - A fire can double in size in 30 to 60 seconds.

Dixon Fire Department Battalion Chief Nick Warren said that is one reason public safety technology advances exponentially.

For that reason, elected officials approved a new Tablet Command software being implemented here now. Staff reports show that the Vacaville, Suisun and Montezuma Fire Protection Districts and the City of Rio Vista are the only remaining agencies within Solano not utilizing the software.

“The current timing is quite advantageous as our mutual aid partners both in Solano and Yolo counties have or are currently adopting Tablet Command as part of their operations,” Warren said. “This allows us to develop and grow concurrently with our partners and ensure our technological capabilities for today and beyond.”

The battalion chief said that the Dixon Fire Department, like all Solano County fire agencies, provides automatic and mutual aid to each other. 

“Interoperability must be a core priority for all agencies through common language, communications and technology,” Warren said, adding that Tablet Command's ability to drop jurisdictional boundaries between agencies is an advantage few products have.

Warren used real life as an example.

“If the Dixon Fire Department responds to an incident in Fairfield, for example, the responding engine will have immediate access to all of Fairfield's computer-aided dispatch data, fire hydrant data, and key mapping components,” Warren said. “All agencies will be able to utilize Dixon's information when providing aid to us.”

According to the battalion chief, immediate mutual aid reduces response time in a structural or wildland fire setting.

“With an individual experiencing a critical medical emergency, seconds not receiving life-saving aid can mean the difference between life or death,” Warren said.

The Dixon Fire Department will soon be able to share dispatch information, data layers, resource locations and critical checklists across all agencies in Solano County with the new Tablet Command system. Photo courtesy of the City of Dixon

Real-time information available instantly via Tablet Command enables fire engines to receive information while traveling and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping allows the crew to route to the call seamlessly. 

“The common operating picture that Tablet Command provides allows all responding resources to an incident to see the same data, notes and assignments by dispatch and the incident commander,” Warren said. “All of these provide a faster and much more efficient response.”

As for cost, the staff report and Warren said the City of Dixon is the sponsoring agency but does not provide the final price, including invoicing other agencies for their proportionate share.

“The Dixon Fire Department is extremely excited to bring Tablet Command online,” Warren said. “We are also excited to bring all our mutual aid partners on board and to work collaboratively with our partners both in Solano and Yolo Counties currently using the software.”

Warren stressed that while many software products aim for excellence, Tablet Command's reputation has demonstrated exceptional “response times, common operating picture between agencies and operational efficiency” in all jurisdictions.

The battalion chief thanked elected officials and city staff for their support, which he said is “bringing the department into a new technological era that serves to better its own operations and service to the community.”