Firefront™ Universal Appliance Communications System
The Firefront™ Universal Appliance Communications System allows up to seven X10DR Elite devices to be connected to the Fire appliance host mobile radio to provide a comprehensive, local intercom and network access system for firefighters.
Typical systems provide local at-scene, off-network private AES secure communications with the ability to also monitor and transmit over the vehicle’s main despatch mobile radio for up to 700 meters from the vehicle. Additional facilities include the ability to monitor other radio channels (e.g. volunteers using UHF radios) or the ability for multiple vehicles to link together into larger work teams with a shared local intercom network.
All team members usually communicate with each other locally by pressing the top-mounted Talkaround button on the Elite Microphone. For those situations where both hands are needed such as attaching a hose, the system also provides Handsfree full-duplex mode. Handsfree mode is simply enabled by “double-pressing” the Talkaround button. The user will hear a “handsfree” activation tone and a periodic reminder tone. The user can then communicate freely with others from their team while focusing on the task at hand without the need to press any buttons.
Typically a user in Handsfree mode should wear a lightweight headset or perhaps a specific breathing apparatus headset plugged into the bottom Hirose® 6 pin headset port. Handsfree is simply disabled by pressing the top Talkaround button again or by pressing the top Emergency button. If an authorized user is in handsfree mode and they need to communicate over a radio channel they simply press the side radio PTT without the need to exit handsfree mode.
Besides the local intercom capabilities, the X10DR Firefront™ system also allows team members partial or full access to the vehicle’s main or secondary mobile radio operating channels. On power up the system s normally configured to typically allow full radio system access to the vehicle’s Commander, and/or a 2IC if so desired.
Depending on the specific operational needs and equipment configuration, either one or both selectable user sub-groups (2 or 3 members) can be authorized access to the vehicle’s radio/s by the Commander with a press of a button on the XCCP Console Command Panel.
When a team member has radio monitor access assigned, they will hear both local intercom voice traffic as well as the assigned radio’s receive audio. Should someone be talking in local intercom mode when a radio reception occurs on the assigned mobile radio, then audio from both sources will be mixed and users will hear both conversations. When authorized they can also transmit over the assigned radio channel by simply pressing the large side PTT button to talk.
The Console Command Panel is normally located inside the vehicle cabin so user access can be pre-defined before arriving at the response scene. For long deployments where access requirements may evolve as circumstances change, an additional Console Command Panels can be mounted elsewhere on the vehicle for easy access and so as to prevent the need to climb back into the cabin when an urgent change is required.