NOV. 8, 2022 - City Council has approved the purchase of several new pieces of public safety equipment.
Allen’s Police and Fire fleet will soon receive new vehicle routers and antennas, which will provide integrated GPS systems to help dispatchers improve vehicle routing and decision-making. The new routers also have 5G capability, which provides increased speed and reliability, as well as the ability to stream vehicle and bodycam video directly to the cloud. Allen’s current vehicle routing technology has reached the end of its service life and will no longer be supported by the vendor. This new router equipment will cost $152,830.
Allen Fire Department will also receive new protective equipment after councilmembers approved the purchase for a total of $205,000. This new equipment includes new bunker gear – the daily protective gear firefighters wear – and new body armor.
Bunker gear has a maximum lifespan of 10 years, but when used in front-line service, may only last for five years. Therefore, each year, the Fire Department purchases new gear for one-fifth of the department on a rotating basis.
The new body armor equipment includes trauma plates and helmets and will be used in the event that the Fire Department needs to participate in a coordinated response activity with the Police Department.