Manchester Fire-Rescue-EMS Chooses SmartLink Radio Networks Inc. Platform for Interoperable Radio Communications.

BILLERICA, Mass. -- Allows MFRE to Migrate to New Communications System Cost-Effectively; Interoperability Proves Value in Recent Multi-Agency Fire Response

SmartLink Radio Networks Inc., a supplier of two-way radio networking and interoperability solutions, today announced that it has implemented a radio interoperability solution for Manchester Fire-Rescue-EMS (MFRE) in Manchester, Connecticut. MFRE chose SmartLink to support communications throughout the 60,000-person community because of its interoperability, flexibility and cost-effectiveness.

"Communications issues contribute to a large majority of firefighter deaths each year, so it was critical for the SmartLink system to be as seamless as possible," said Dan Huppe, battalion chief, Manchester Fire-Rescue-EMS. "With SmartLink's assistance, we obtained a grant and implemented a comprehensive radio networking and interoperability solution that required minimal upfront costs and allows future integration with the communication systems of surrounding communities and other Manchester organizations."

SmartLink Interoperability in Action

During a recent two-alarm fire in Manchester's 8th district, the SmartLink system allowed officials to simultaneously announce an evacuation command to both MFRE and the 8th Utility District as the dangerous situation rapidly escalated. At this instant, cross-linked communication between responders on top of and in the burning building was not possible with the previous legacy VHF network. "The ability to crosslink these systems has eliminated the middleman and the time-consuming process of fumbling for gadgetry," said Huppe. "In a situation as dangerous and unpredictable as a fire, the value of instant communication is immeasurable."

The SmartLink system provides interoperability with the surrounding Hartford County fire systems on low band VHF and seamless mutual aid throughout the capital region with the 800 MHz system of the 8th Utility District's stand-alone fire station. Additionally, SmartLink's platform gives MFRE the ability to communicate with every school in the city as well as Manchester Memorial Hospital. MFRE can provide incident commanders at those locations with information about situations several minutes before responding to fire alarms, medical emergencies and bomb threats.

SmartLink's softswitch-based solution consists of a new UHF system located at the Manchester Police Department's tower site. To provide a migratory path from VHF to UHF, MFRE's legacy VHF system was integrated into the SmartLink network, and now serves as a redundant backup to the primary system. This discrete system supports special events within the community, such as the Fourth of July celebration and the Thanksgiving Road Race, which attract tens of thousands of visitors.

The project was subsidized by a grant made possible by the Firefighters Investment and Response Enhancement (FIRE) Act. The Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program is administered by the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and assists rural, urban and suburban fire departments throughout the United States.

"We were delighted to partner with Manchester Fire-Rescue-EMS to provide a new two-way radio system that meets their operational and financial requirements," said Tom Lambalot, president and CEO of SmartLink Radio Networks. "SmartLink's building block approach to networking and interoperability provides a seamless migration to new technology, the elimination of a single point of failure, support of mutual aid throughout the region and the foundation for future expansion within the community."

About SmartLink Radio Networks Inc.

SmartLink provides public safety, critical infrastructure, and commercial markets with a cost-effective and highly flexible software-defined network switch platform. The SmartLink solution supports full-featured multi-site conventional and trunked networking, as well as interoperability of disparate radio systems, irrespective of frequencies or protocol. The system architecture is both flexible and scalable and provides customers a choice of "best in class" RF technologies and vendors. Implementation of a SmartLink system leverages existing communications infrastructure and allows seamless migration to future industry and defacto standards. For more information, contact us or visit www.smrlink.com.