METHODS
Initially, we contacted over 50 emergency service organizations with whom we currently conduct business and/or have conducted business in the past. Our objective was to build a comprehensive list of enhancements these organizations were looking for to improve dispatching and communication in consideration of the latest advancements in two-way wireless technology. These include (in no particular order):
1. Increased speed of dispatching and receiving messages in the field
2. Affordable
3. Ability to get messages to all departments on all shifts
4. Track who received a message and who did not with a large distribution of individuals (human responses to dispatching and GPS tracking)
5. Initiate emergency messages from the field
6. Seamlessly supports multiple protocols, devices, and commercial and private networks
7. Coverage
8. Compatibility with existing CAD systems
Technology – For control, centralization, and stability, it was decided that the prototype would be hosted on a Unix server on a private Extranet accessible from any Internet connection. Next, we designed an application that would accommodate as many as possible of the improvements requested from these initial interviews. For example, each individual organization in the study would be able to custom configure response codes and denote the color in which these responses would display in a “track responses” page on the Extranet. In a traditional wireless dispatch environment, one-way alphanumeric pagers would be used to send messages to a widely distributed field force. In this new model using wireless two-way devices, the dispatcher of the message would be able to track a set of responses (interactive) from this same field force.