Smart radios do things like adding digital broadband connectivity and using GPS to show firefighters’ locations in real time. They offer touch screens and respond to voice commands.
But the real smarts happen in the design phase, when product developers shoot for a deft balance of capability vs. simplicity. “We’re really trying to be on the cutting edge of technology, but we’re not trying to change the way firefighters do their jobs,” said Matt Busa, ASTRO devices manager with Motorola Solutions and a fire lieutenant with the Plantation, Florida, Fire Department. “We want them to show up and, as they say in the fire service, put the wet stuff on the red stuff.”
One of Busa’s duties at Motorola Solutions is to explain the value of his company’s APX NEXT line of smart radios. Busa has fought enough fires to know the radios’ appeal. He’s been with Motorola for nearly 15 years and has been on the fire lines for many years beyond that. Today he’s one of the leaders of Florida’s largest volunteer fire department, which has nearly 275 personnel throughout the agency.
Plantation, a suburban city of 94,000 west of Fort Lauderdale, is one of many hurricane-prone locales in South Florida. Having seen what nature can throw at a community, Busa understands the value of smart, ergonomic radio design.
A firefighter radio, for instance, must fit the needs of people who have little time to think about how to operate one. “It has to be glovable,” Busa said. The knobs and channel switches should click so that the user can feel their way down lists of radio channels . If they need to send out an SOS or MayDay , the antenna should guide them to the emergency button on top of the radio.
Motorola’s APX NEXT smart radios show how todays’ manufacturers are merging smart capabilities with savvy design choices. The radios come in two varieties: The standard APX NEXT XE and the APX NEXT XN, which was designed with extra resistance to the extreme situations firefighters find themselves in every day.
Here’s a look at how smart radios make firegrounds safer.
Software: connectivity, safety and efficiency
Touchscreens bring the functionality of smartphones to APX NEXT radios. “We can add new applications over the lifespan of the device,” Busa said. This makes it easy to give agencies new services and features as their needs grow.
The radios also connect to LTE networks, which have plenty of bandwidth for sending digital data like photos and video. LTE also expands GPS capability, delivering data fast enough to keep commanders apprised of their crews’ locations. “It becomes more like a real-time tracking solution,” Busa adds.
These are the primary apps:
SmartConnect uses LTE networks to prevent communication breakdowns when fire crews travel outside the range of their conventional radio networks. In a mutual-aid scenario, for instance, crews often lose connectivity on their way to distant incidents.
SmartConnect maintains a constant scan of available wireless networks, whether they use LTE or Wi-Fi. “The radio can detect the best network and automatically switch to that without the firefighter having to do anything,” Busa said. “It’s probably the most valuable tool on the radio.”
SmartMessaging delivers alerts and messages to firefighters without interrupting radio traffic. Thanks to LTE’s bandwidth, the app can deliver pictures and videos in addition to text messages. Encryption keeps messages secure between radios and servers.
SmartLocate triangulates wireless data to help commanders at the site of a fire map out a structure and pinpoint the locations of specific firefighters. Another app for personnel accountability lets firefighters send their locations and duties to their commanders.
SmartMapping helps fire agencies integrate advanced geographical information system (GIS) technology. Agency commanders can add information layers to GIS maps that include essential data like the locations of fire hydrants. “I just pull this radio off my hip or out of my pocket, look at the screen and see where the closest fire hydrant is,” Busa said.
ViQi is a personal-assistant app that accepts voice commands and automates a range of communication tasks. “The radios can handle over 3,000 channels and talk groups,” Busa noted. A big-city fire department can add as many channels and talk groups as it needs. Firefighters can ask ViQi to switch specific channels or talk groups, which is much faster than trying to find channels or groups manually. A button assigned to ViQi on the radio helps firefighters easily access the voice capabilities and quickly navigate to the channels or groups they need.
HARDWARE: DURABILITY AND USABILITY
Heavy-duty construction starts with the radios’ display surface, which uses Corning’s proven Gorilla Glass technology. “It’s hardened to stand up to the environments that we know firefighters go into,” Busa said. “It’s extremely rugged, fracture resistant and scratch resistant.”
APX NEXT XN radios meet the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1802 Standard, which was crafted specifically for environments that are immediately dangerous to life and health (IDLH). Testing exposes the devices to drops, tumbling, submersion, heat and direct flame.
“It has to do things like data logging and notifying the user if their accessory cord has become compromised or cut,” Busa added. The radio must provide a minimum sound level for noisy environments.
“If the radios’ components become too hot, a temperature sensor will warn the user if they’ve been in the heat for too long,” Busa noted. The XN radio’s lithium-ion cell battery also has extra protection against extreme environments.
Digitally enhanced audio reduces noise and clarifies voice communications. Each radio has multiple microphones facing in different directions. “We developed algorithms to detect where the user’s voice is coming from and where the background noise is coming from,” Busa said. The algorithms also enhance the user’s voice while suppressing background noise.
Finally, the radios physical design is optimized for the shape of firefighters’ hands, and buttons are placed strategically so they’re easy to find. The push-to-talk and ViQi buttons are extra-large, and the displays are visible in all lighting conditions.
Busa and his Motorola colleagues collaborated with firefighters across the U.S. to design radios that make smart people even smarter on the job. “We want to help firefighters be their best in the moments that matter,” he said.
For more information, visit Motorola Solutions.
