Symposium Technologies brings Barrie Fire an Emergency Service Dispatch Live with new
Multi-Agency CAD and RMS

The Horizon EME dispatch solution from Symposium Technologies has been implemented for Barrie Fire and Emergency Service and the seven surrounding municipalities in Simcoe and Dufferin Counties, providing these departments with one of the most advanced public safety dispatch capabilities in the country.

The Barrie implementation is a study in how a multi-agency dispatch system can successfully accommodate the needs of many different departments, while still enabling each one to maintain separate workflows, operating procedures, and reporting. The eight different departments currently utilizing the system serve in excess of 250,000 people, with a complement of over 200 apparatus dispersed throughout 25 halls.

The Horizon EME was fully implemented in just over six months – an unheard of timeframe for a project of this scope, and three months ahead of the schedule originally envisioned. This is even more impressive when considering the fact that the system was fully customized to reflect each department’s operations, and that the implementation also involved roll-out of eight different RMS implementations, each fully integrated with the CAD.

Dispatchers now have access to a wide range of capabilities, including full interactive mapping, unit and response information for each of the participating departments, and real time access to premise and inspection information collected by each department throughout the year.

By all accounts, Barrie is very satisfied. “Symposium proposed a system that really met our needs, and in the end delivered even more capability than we’d expected,” says Sue Dawson, Communications Manager for BFES. ”They’ve been excellent to work with at every stage of the project, and their responsiveness to our feedback has been really outstanding”.

The system incorporates advanced features such as GPS-based vehicle location and mobile data capabilities, which provide BFES with the ability to implement fully wireless dispatch and response management using the city’s private wireless network. Because the system is dynamically customizable, it can easily accommodate any expansion in the number of departments served, as well as being able to accommodate any increase in call volume – an important fact for a city like Barrie, which is one of the country’s fastest growing municipalities.

The Barrie project showcases many of the most progressive and practical applications of advanced technology in the public safety field. The implementation process has been watched closely by many public safety agencies throughout the U.S. and Canada, which are evaluating examples of how Symposium’s Horizon EME can be utilized to cost-effectively improve operations and safety. Barrie Fire and Emergency Service and Symposium Technologies would be happy to arrange site visits for those interested in seeing the system in action. To inquire about participating, please email info@symposium911.com.

Symposium Technologies welcomes Asif Nakhuda to the Team

Symposium is proud to welcome Asif Nakhuda, the newest member of the Symposium team. Asif is Symposium’s new Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development. In this role he will have primary responsibility for pursuing growth and market opportunities through strategic alliances, as well as carrying out ongoing competitive analysis to ensure Symposium stays at the forefront of innovation and service delivery.

Asif comes well prepared with a strong technical and business background, having obtained both a degree in computer science as well as an M.B.A. Prior to joining Symposium, Asif spent several years at AT&T Canada in various capacities within sales, marketing, and operations. This experience gave him an appreciation for maintaining quality and discipline in every facet of the business, from working capital management to strategy implementation.

“Symposium is poised to become a market leader in public safety, transit, and corporate markets” says Asif. “In doing so however, it’s extremely important that we manage our growth – not let our growth manage us. As companies grow, they sometimes lose focus on the factors that brought them their success in the first place. As we grow, we are committed to maintaining the technological excellence and total commitment to client satisfaction that is at the heart of our competitive advantage. I’m looking forward to working with the team in taking the company to new levels of success.”

Asif can be contacted at anakhuda@symposium911.com

Next Issue

Stay tuned for our next issue, where we’ll have more news. Expect info on new system components, as well as more contract announcements! Until then, all the best to you and your families from the Symposium team.