Council hears plans for upgraded fire-station alerting system; EMS to buy modern monitors and stair chairs

City fire and EMS staff told the council on April 22 they plan to replace the department’s 10‑year-old station alerting system with a modern, CAD‑integrated solution that will decrease dispatcher-to-response time and reduce sudden alarm shocks to sleeping crews.

Staff said the current system was a bespoke installation that is failing and that the new system will integrate directly with the computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system so dispatchers can continue taking calls while the alerting system notifies the appropriate station or bay automatically. The new system will allow staged ramp-up of light and sound in sleeping areas, and station-level panels will allow crews to sign in to specific units.

Staff said South Metro Fire District has implemented the system and the city will partner with them to reduce server redundancy costs; the project bid is approximately $256,000 and the city had budgeted $275,000 for FY2025. The council was told the purchase will be brought back for formal approval at the next meeting as part of cooperative purchasing.

Nut graf: City staff said upgrading the alerting system will improve response times, standardize station notifications, and reduce fatigue-related safety issues by targeting alarms only to crews assigned to a particular call.

Separately, council approved the procurement of seven LifePak 30‑5 cardiac monitors to replace older models and four powered Stryker stair chairs. Staff said the LifePak monitors increase connectivity and data transmission to patient reports, and the powered stair chairs improve safety when transporting patients up or down stairs. The combined Stryker package was approved at $450,600.62 and was budgeted.

Ending: Staff said the alerting purchase will proceed through cooperative procurement and that details and a formal resolution will return to council at the next meeting.