Miami County staff recommend buying 11 mobile data terminals for rural fire vehicles

Miami County staff told commissioners on March 26 that two vendors responded to a request for proposals for 11 mobile data terminals for rural fire apparatus and recommended the more complete bid from Turnkey Mobile for $65,209.20.

The recommendation came from Mark, the county’s fire coordinator, during a study-session presentation that walked commissioners through the equipment and operational benefits. “The purpose of the MDTs, the biggest benefit is call routing to emergency incidents,” Mark said, describing how the devices link to the new CAD system, use county centerline and address-point data and show hydrants, building footprints and parcel owner data to crews en route.

Why it matters: MDTs can reduce response times by routing crews on the most efficient roads, showing hazards and posting dispatcher updates directly to apparatus screens. Staff told commissioners the Turnkey Mobile bid included Panasonic Toughbook CF-33 computers with GPS, brackets, mounts, antennas, installation labor and a one-year extended warranty.

Key details and funding: The Turnkey Mobile total price for 11 units was $65,209.20. Mark recommended purchase of a five-year extended warranty for the trucks because of the vibration and harsh conditions fire computers face. The county has budgeted a capital reserve for Fire District 1; Lucas, the assistant county administrator, said the county set aside roughly $100,000 in that capital budget to cover the project and that the Turnkey Mobile price was below that allocation. Mark also said FirstNet will provide a SIM card at no cost and that an ongoing air-card connectivity fee would be about $30 per vehicle per month; staff noted the 9-1-1 fund may allow payment of that monthly fee if 9-1-1 funds remain available.

Grant prospects and timing: Staff said technology grants are scarce now but they will continue searching. Turnkey Mobile’s price was said to be good only through the end of the month because tariffs were scheduled to raise costs April 1; commissioners pressed staff to move quickly if they wanted to capture that price.

Commission direction: Commissioners asked funding and warranty questions and indicated support for proceeding using the fire capital reserve and for pursuing the five-year warranty. No formal vote was recorded at the study session; staff said they would follow procurement rules for final award and return with formal documentation if required.

Ending: Staff will continue to pursue grant opportunities for installation costs and connectivity, confirm final warranty pricing and proceed through the county’s procurement steps if authorized to do so by the commission.