We have some of the finest fire and EMS services in the region and nationally. This project needs to include a portion of the vital citizen service. I will start a new thread to allow the team to consider some basic issues associated with fire and EMS services.

Fred Windisch
Fire Chief
Ponderosa FD

Great issue Chief! I expect one of the big concerns is getting to the fire ASAP. Do you have any control of the intersection signals? Also getting there is assuming you can spot the street names. Is that a problem? Is the standard green-blade street name sign adequate at night?

As we get more multi-story office buildings in addition to the three story appartments does that require different equipment for you that has special needs re: the streets?

We have some/most intersections equipped with Opticom, an optical device that gives us green. Each intersection is $7,000 and each apparatus emitter is $1,000. We are working with Harris County to purchase (ourselves)very high tech systems based on GPS, radio, fiber optics, etc etc. The cost will be more than the Opticom.

Our FD's have the equipment and training for larger buildings, and we also recognize that that every FD is challenged by this type of building/fire. It is very difficult to work in a vertical oven!!!

The mobility issue - if the group is seeking funding via some grant or management district, the fire and EMS services need to be considered because our budgets are strapped and the tax caps hinder our capital expenditures. As all of us are experiencing, costs are going up and up and up and up --

Thank you
Fred Windisch
Fire Chief
Ponderosa FD