Incident Response

Any event that affects public safety such as a natural disaster, public health  threat, or terrorist attack, requires an immediate coordinated response across multiple response agencies. Communication and coordination among responders is critical for the success of the operation. The following have emerged as the essential requirements for incident response applications:

• Ability to instantly collaborate with central command, coworkers and other agencies
• Ability to use video surveillance cameras and unattended sensors to extend the eyes and ears of the response teams. Real-time voice, video and data support is essential.
• Independence from existing cellular or wireless infrastructure, while minimizing interference.
• Ability to be deployed in remote areas.
• Ability to scale from a small on-site ad-hoc network to a larger multi-site network
• Ability to interwork with other networks 

Technical Requirements

Besides the essential requirements identified above, an effective solution for incident response must be able to use locally available power sources, including batteries, generators, or automobiles. The solution must be easy to configure and deploy, without requiring extensive planning. Flexibility through support of multiple frequency bands is critical to avoid interference. Support for the 4.9 GHz public safety band is essential. Access to the incident response communications network and all traffic flowing through the network should be fully protected from intruders and unauthorized users using standard high-grade security and encryption. All equipment should be ruggedized and capable of withstanding the harsh environmental conditions present at the incident response site. No solution is complete without an effective network management tool that enables rapid deployment as well as effective tracking and monitoring of network resources. A complete solution must address both the essential and the technical requirements discussed above.

Incident Response Technologies

In the past, most incident response teams have relied on analog radios operating on reserved frequencies. This technology made poor use of the frequency spectrum and was limited to voice communication only. Advances in trunked radio technology brought in some limited messaging capabilities but fell short of the modern day communications needs. Both cellular and Wi-Fi/WiMAX are being used on a trial basis in different parts of the world. However, cellular technology poses some significant limitations. Interference with existing cellular networks, network availability in remote areas and security are some of the key concerns for cellular. WiMAX is reasonable as a wireless backhaul solution, but has limitations when it comes to rapid deployment of ad-hoc networks, due to the fixed base station/subscriber network model. Wi-Fi mesh offers the most flexibility and scalability for nodes that are portable or mobile. Wi-Fi offers the high bandwidth necessary to support the communication needs of an incident response team. Support for mobility, strong security through authentication/encryption, and excellent performance makes wireless mesh technology the optimal choice for incident response. 

Fortress Deployable Networks

Fortress's Mesh Point product suite offers a comprehensive solution that is rapidly deployable for incident response applications with the following differentiators:

• Fortress's FastPath™ technology enables self-forming, self-healing mesh networks that can be instantly deployed and maintained. The ability of nodes to discover and automatically connect to each other is ideal for incident response.
• All Fortress products offer best-in-class radio and encryption performance with hardware encryption and TRNG (true random number generation).
• The high bandwidth performance delivered by Fortress's mesh points allows for real-time video, voice and data applications.
• Fortress's ES210 is a man-wearable unit with a built-in GPS and long-life battery that can be easily carried and tracked while responding to an incident.
• Fortress ES440 with quad-radios offers the highest performance in a very small and rugged form factor
• Fortress's ES520 is a highly versatile product which offers maximum flexibility with dual radio and a built-in Ethernet switch.
• Fortress's ES820 is custom designed for vehicles with unmatched size, weight and power (SWaP) in the industry.
• Fortress's FastPath Mesh is optimized for video traffic with intelligent use of unicast and multicast forwarding.
• All Fortress units offer low power consumption with high radio power outputs

Fortress ES520 Deployable Mesh Point

The Fortress ES520 Deployable Mesh Point is designed for rapidly deployable networks. It is a highly versatile unit with dual radios and a built-in 8-port Ethernet switch. It is ruggedized for dependable performance under harsh outdoor environments including desert, tropical and maritime environments (MIL-STD-810G, IP65, NEMA-4X, ICC/ENX).

Detailed specifications and certifications