BFP praises seamless inter-agency collaboration, accuracy, cutting-edge technology and tools of Unified 911 system

Command stations relied on voice-only radio frequencies prior to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) implementing the Unified Platform for Communications & Dispatch (UPCAD) system of Unified 911 for emergency response. These frequencies were hindered by poor signals, dead zones, and congested telephone lines.

Dispatchers relied on inaccurate, scared verbal descriptions from callers and were "completely blind" to what was actually happening at the emergency scene. The incidents' exact locations and the changing ground conditions were completely conjectural.