Mobile, AL Case Study
Goals
- Improve cadence & clarity of dispatches
- Provide an accent neutral dispatch
- Reduce call stacking
The Customer
Located on the Gulf Coast – between New Orleans, Louisiana and St. Petersburg, Florida – the city of Mobile, Alabama populates what many consider the deep south. Characterized by southern hospitality and an endearing southern accent, the city of roughly 190,000 residents blends modern skyscrapers with fine, old southern homes; all protected by 20 fire stations. Dispatched by a team of 19 city employees, the communications division answers roughly 96,000 emergency/non-emergency calls a year.
The Challenge
“Prior to adding in Locution’s station alerting, there were several times when trucks got dispatched to the wrong address. When we researched why, the issue was typically because the dispatcher’s voices were not clear, and the responders misunderstood where they were going,” recalled Phillip Ballard, District Chief
The Journey
After the Mobile Fire Department identified the communication issue, they began exhaustive research to find a solution. The department knew they needed to reduce communication errors and improve the overall operations of the department. Mobile prioritized a system that could deliver clear and accent neutral dispatches to minimize confusion over loudspeakers in their fire stations and over radios.
The Solution
Ultimately, the Mobile Fire Department felt confident that Locution Systems could successfully solve their problems because of its state of the art PrimeAlert® Voice technology and verified dispatch delivery to stations. Mobile decided to install zoned alerting systems into their stations to improve the quality of life for first-responders by only alerting relevant units when a dispatch is received. Because Locution’s products are not exclusive to the dispatch center, the city’s fire stations were also able to benefit from Locution’s technology as their budget allowed.
The Results
- Dispatch errors to incorrect locations were reduced to zero
- Call stacking reduced to “nothing”
- Reduce call stacking
Summary
“Locution Systems’ fire station alerting has been a huge benefit to the department,” said Chief Ballard. “I’ve pondered what Locution could do to improve and I honestly can’t think of anything. The system is so reliable, we haven’t had a single failure since the system went online more than five years ago.”