COUNTY AND RURAL FIRE AGENCIES RECEIVE $164,500 FROM SDG&E TO INSTALL ESSENTIAL TECHNOLOGY

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Supervisor Ron Roberts recognizes SDG&E and Fire Foundations for their leadership

Source: SDG&E

May 15, 2018 (San Diego’s East County) -- In an action that will improve communications and awareness for first responders during wildfires and other natural disasters, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors today accepted two grants totaling $164,500 for the installation of 70 Mobile Data Computers on CAL FIRE firefighting rigs in the backcountry.

The donations provided by the San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation and the San Diego Regional Fire Foundation were made possible by San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) and will be instrumental in protecting the region and our communities from future fires.

Mobile Data Computers (MDCs) are an instrumental dispatch tool used by the Fire Authority to provide navigation, display Pre-Plans identifying potential hazards, and a way to communicate with dispatchers in real-time during an emergency, further enhancing situational awareness.

“One of our goals is to make San Diego the most natural-disaster resilient region in the nation,” said Supervisor Ron Roberts. “Over the past decade, the Board has collaborated with local agencies, SDG&E and non-profit foundations to improve wildland fire prevention and response efforts. Today, our region’s wildfire preparedness is unrivaled.”

Partnering with SDG&E, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation and the San Diego Regional Fire Foundation, today’s donation is set to provide new MDCs, further upgrading the tools that the region’s first responders have to serve our rural communities.


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Comments

Welcome to the 80s

This technology has been in place at virtually every fire department in the county (the ones that said NO to joining the "fire authority") since the mid-1980s. It is instructive that a county with a nearly $6 billion budget needs to have a "bake sale" to provide this standard equipment speaks volumes. Hopefully they are not actually providing Calfire engines with this equipment (you probably mean S.D. County Fire Authority rigs, right?). If one of the biggest fire agencies in the country wants MDCs in their engines, they should use the tax dollars we give them and buy them themselves!

The press release said Cal Fire.

Cal Fire is running the County Fire Authority now. But you raise a valid point; if these engines are used for all Cal Fire purposes, it would seem the state should pay at least some of it.

Great news

Mobile Data Computers , these have been around for years! It's good to see them now going to Cal Fire, This communication equipment is similar to https://www.facebook.com/bfpartyline/ . We use for real time information. The Fighters will be able to use this similar to a text to a phone but on a computer size screen with much much more information, and Private so more can be explained. Great news