Busy First Responders Require Durable Devices For Response Coordination and Reporting
In a city of over 200,000 residents in Miami-Dade County, Florida, a fire and rescue team with 20 units spread across eight stations is responsible for answering 30,000 calls each year – many of which require an EMS response. Having as much information as possible is critical for these first responders to provide the appropriate treatment and ensure safer outcomes for all involved.
When the department realized over a decade ago that they needed to invest in a mobile computing solution, they did their research and due diligence and determined that Panasonic Toughbooks were the solution to fit their current and future needs. The mobile solutions for this fire and rescue team needed to be able to withstand a unique set of challenges – not only being able to withstand the typical hazards associated with fire and rescue operations but also intensely hot summers, heavy rain, and dangerous hurricanes.
Challenge | Mobile Computing Devices That Can Withstand Hazardous Conditions and Extreme Weather
With reliability being a top priority, the solution needed to have little down-time, a fast response time for repairs, and hold a comprehensive warranty to protect the financial investment of the department and municipality.
Solution | Panasonic Toughbooks Provide Durable Reliability and Excellent Warranty Protection
Not only are Panasonic Toughbooks one of the most well-known and highly respected rugged mobile computer options, but the Pro Services warranty offerings, which augments the standard warranty with no-fault accident coverage, positioned Panasonic and their Toughbooks as the ideal solution for the Department.
Since the department’s initial investment over a decade ago, they have continued to rely on Panasonic devices and mobility solutions to provide information and communications services to their fire and rescue teams.
Serving a community with over 30,000 emergency calls per year necessitates a reliable mobile technology solution to ensure that first responders are always prepared with the appropriate equipment to get the job done. The selected solution needed to be able to seamlessly integrate with its Computer Aided Dispatch system and be mounted within emergency response vehicles so that responders could have critical information at a moment’s notice. The devices also needed to be easy to remove from the vehicles so that responders can quickly – and accurately – take down medical and incident information on the scene.
When discussing their primary objectives in selecting new equipment, a lieutenant within the fire department said, “We’re rough on our equipment – we break axes, we break sledgehammers, and even our Toughbook computers take a beating. What makes the difference for us is knowing that, when our devices do experience issues, Panasonic is there to get us up and running quickly and responsively.”
Result | Quick Repairs, Long-Lasting Devices
The city is now enjoying a mobile computing solution that has revolutionized not only its response coordination but the longevity of its devices. Fire and rescue workers are equipped with Toughbooks that can withstand hazardous situations as well as extreme weather conditions. When the equipment does get damaged, the department can send it off to Panasonic for repair under the Pro Services warranty program, where its repaired and redeployed as quickly as possible.
A lieutenant within the fire department stated, “We rely on these devices to better serve our community and we know they’re going to go into some unforgiving scenarios that do take a toll on them. Without the right support, we could be left with a device that doesn’t do what we need it to do. But Panasonic does it right – it’s a great reliable product and a solid warranty to go along with it.”
He continued, ““Truly, the Panasonic warranty and Pro Services team are amazing and without that piece of mind, our department would not function nearly as well as it does. The most impressive thing we’ve seen is the turnaround time. When something does go wrong, we make a quick phone call, send out the device for repair and have a repaired or replaced device in just three days. The service is professional and rock-solid – even when things go wrong, they go right!”
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