Seattle fire engines to be rolling mobile hot spots
May 16, 2012, 12:51 PM | Updated: 3:15 pm
No matter where firefighters are in the city, they'll be able to get important information about the scene as their fire engines become mobile hot spots. (City of Seattle Photo/Steve Crothers)
The Seattle Fire Department is going high-tech, outfitting
their 60 engines with new technology that makes them rolling
mobile hot spots.
“The City of Seattle is about 90 square miles and as
everyone knows, in certain areas of the city, whether it’s
your cell phone or your lap top, you’re not going to be able
to get a good connection,” explained SFD’s IT director Lenny
Roberts.
He said since the fire department has mobile computers that
use wireless connectivity in their vehicles, “It’s pretty
serious business when we lose the connection.”
The router technology will allow those computers to use any
available network to send information, whether it’s Verizon,
T-Mobile or another carrier.
Roberts said the installation process is already in the
works, and soon all 60 vehicles will be outfitted with
routers.
