Typical emergency response vehicles have many different systems for monitoring and responding to various situations and emergencies. For example, the vehicles are equipped with communications equipment that includes both voice and data generating devices such as radios and computers. This and other electronic equipment (e.g., controls for devices such as light bars) crowd the interior space of the vehicle, which is not designed for this concentration of electronics.
It is extremely difficult to equip the vehicles with all of the needed communications, monitoring, and response equipment. Standard commercial vehicles are retrofitted with this equipment through a labor-intensive process. Retro fitting the vehicles is often an iterative process, as new equipment replaces old. Advances in equipment allow first responders to perform their jobs more safely and efficiently. However, each time equipment advances, vehicles must again be retrofitted. Furthermore, when the vehicle is no longer used by emergency services, the equipment must be removed from the vehicle through another costly, labor-intensive process.
In addition to systems for detecting and responding to emergencies, vehicles must be equipped with various communications systems. For example, in the United States public safety officials including fire departments, police departments and ambulance services primarily use communications systems that work within the VHF and UHF bands. Conventional land mobile radios operate on these and other frequencies. Cellular networks, which operate in the UHF frequency band, are also used for public safety communications systems for both data and voice communications. More recently, the SHF band, such as the 4.9 GHz band reserved by the United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC), have been included in public safety communications systems. Moreover, within these several frequency bands, there are a number of communications standards, such as the IEEE 802.11 protocol, utilized to transmit data. Many other frequency bands and communication protocols are used by emergency service personnel around the country. In order to ensure reliable communications across public safety agencies, vehicles are often now equipped with still further electronics that enable public safety personnel to communicate over several transmissions protocols and/or frequency bands. All of the radios and communications equipment results in a cluttered environment.
As technology evolves and finds applications in the area of public safety, emergency response vehicles increasingly carry more equipment to detect and respond to countless situations and emergencies. Typically, individual systems are installed in the vehicle for each of the tasks aimed at emergency responses. For example, a police vehicle monitors traffic using a radar detector. Cameras mounted in an emergency vehicle gather evidence. Many emergency vehicles have light bars mounted to their roofs. Sirens warn citizens of danger. GPS systems inform a control center of the vehicle's location. Vehicles may contain equipment to detect bio-hazards or chemicals in the event of an industrial spill or terrorist attack. Countless other systems are installed in emergency vehicles based on expected situations. This trend can only be expected to continue.
Emergency vehicles are often equipped with emergency lighting equipment that draw attention to the vehicles and provide visual warning to citizens. Typically this equipment includes flashing or rotating lights, which generating a considerable amount of electromagnetic noise. Because of the noisy environment and to assist in visibility, the emergency lighting equipment is most often housed in a module commonly called a “light bar” mounted to a roof of the emergency vehicle. Installing the emergency light equipment in a light bar lessens the effect the electromagnetic noise has on the operation of sensitive telecommunications equipment inside the vehicle.
Installing in emergency vehicles all of this communications, detection and response equipment is costly and labor intensive. All of it is retrofitted into a vehicle manufactured without any accommodation for this special purpose equipment. Some of the equipment, such as radar units and cameras are typically mounted to the front edge of the interior of the roof such that the radar unit and/or the camera extend downwardly to provide views through the front windshield. Power cables are routed from this equipment to the vehicle's power system through the roof lining and down one of the side posts of the car, separating the front and rear car doors, and then to a controller unit, which is located in the trunk, engine compartment or even under a seat in the interior of the vehicle. Many emergency vehicles are equipped with light bars mounted on the roofs of the vehicles. Power and control cables for the light bars are also fished through the side posts and routed to the trunks of the vehicles or to the engine compartments of the vehicles. These cables are fished through the side pillar of the vehicle separating the front and rear doors. Communications antennas are mounted on the roof and on the trunk. Holes are drilled in the car to attach the antennas. Again, cables are routed to a controller in the trunk of the vehicle. Finally, each piece of equipment is wired to controllers in the vehicle's cabin. There are numerous other systems that are regularly installed in emergency vehicles. As technology advances, new devices must be incorporated into emergency vehicles. This requires taking the vehicle out of service for an extended period of time as older devices are removed from the vehicle and newer devices are installed.
By their nature, emergencies often require deployment of more emergency equipment than normally in use at any given time. Communities must determine how best to provide for emergency situations that may require quick deployment of additional equipment. Typically, communities rely on resources from neighboring communities. This strategy works as long as the neighboring communities are close by and not affected by the same emergency. For emergencies that affect large areas, however, relying on neighboring communities to loan their resources is not a workable strategy.
For example, neighboring communities may face a common emergency such as a hurricane, a terrorist attack or an earthquake. In these types of emergencies, the effected communities will need additional emergency vehicles that are not available from nearby neighboring communities. Moreover, because of the labor intensive and costly installation process, non-emergency vehicles cannot be quickly converted for emergency use. Furthermore, existing emergency vehicles may not have the best combination of equipment for dealing with a particular disaster. The time-consuming installation process prevents vehicles from being quickly adapted to respond to an emergency condition that the vehicle is otherwise not equipped to handle.
After a vehicle is no longer needed by public safety agencies, it is typically sold in the aftermarket. However, all of the communications systems and emergency equipment must be removed from the vehicle before sale. If the vehicle is to be resold at maximum value, the damage to the vehicle done during the process of retrofitting the emergency equipment must be repaired. For example, any holes drilled into the vehicle during installation of the equipment must be patched. The dashboard most likely needs to be repaired because of holes drilled in it to run wiring, mount devices and control units. All of this repairing is expensive and reduces the resale value of the vehicle, which represents a substantial amount of lost revenue to communities.
Another problem facing first responders is the lack of a unified communications network for transmitting voice and data. For example, different police departments responding to the same emergency affecting several communities may use different radios. Furthermore, live video taken from one vehicle at the scene of an emergency is not available to other vehicles responding to the emergency. Current attempts to solve communications problems result in even more equipment and radios being installed into vehicles.