Agenda Package - City of Vernon

FMR calls must be manually phoned in by BC Ambulance to the VFRS dispatcher who
must then build the call from scratch, adding precious minutes to response times'
Once the call is ,,built" in the CAD, the dispatcher simply clicks the mouse to "commit"
the call. The computer does the rest, automatically identifying the response area and
the appropriate apparatus to respond. The guess work that is such a feature of
obsolete manual dispatch systems is practically eliminated, thereby expediting response
times. This is the essence ót the CAD system, but there are many other potential
applicati
ing prompting dispatchers to notify utility companies
Ouring a
añ RCn¡p file number at motor vehicle incidents, and
notifylng
uch as the Fire Chief or Emergency Management
Coordinator.
Although both FDM and lntergraph utilize a CAD system, the latter is generally
considered to be of a higher quaiity and more robust based on industry reviews. Thus,
while FDM is generally õons¡dered a "Tier 2" system, lntergraph is a "Tier 1."
FDM
FDM is headquartered in North Vancouver, and has been in business for over 20 years.
Notable users of FDM CAD include Surrey and Fraser Valley (which is the alternate
service provider selected by RDNO). In addition to CAD, FDM produces an RMS
system in"t ¡r widely regarded as the industry standard. lndeed, VFRS currently uses a
bâsic version of FDM R[¡S, and under the lntergraphiProject Fires solution the FDM
. However, COV would have to
E-Gomm, without any credit extended
ally, should VFRS transition to the E-
formation held by the department does not
have the ability to be migrated over to the new system'
There appears to be a trend among some FDM CAD users away from the product in
favour of 'lntergraph. For example,-both Saanich and Lethbridge have replaced their
stand-alone FDM systems with lntergraph, while Kelowna is currently considering the
hosted E-Comm lntergraph solution. Finally, it is important to note that BC Ambulance is
solidly lntergraph. Shõuld VFRS adopt the FDM solution, COV would be responsible for
re-toóling thã system every time BC Ambulance conducts a version update.
lntergraph
lntergraph is an international company headquartered in Sweden. lt is used in more
than-60'countries and, as mentioned above, is generally considered the best CAD
dispatch system currently available.
E-Comm would hold the license for the lntergraph system, and would be responsible for
maintenance and updates. This has several benefits for a medium-sized department
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