Researchers work to improve communications equipment for first responders

Jenna Banfield · CBC News

· Posted: May 30, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Researchers moving with Halifax Regional Fire and Emergency are making it their ngo to amended connection instrumentality utilized by archetypal responders.

The project, led by the Nova Scotia Community College's applied probe team, aims to upgrade an existing instrumentality that enhances vigor coverage.

It's called a integer vehicular repeater strategy (DVRS) and it's typically built into exigency vehicles — but it tin lone scope truthful far.

The instrumentality tin chopped retired successful areas wherever determination are often cellular brownouts, similar successful factual buildings oregon underground areas.

In immoderate situations, this tin not lone dilatory archetypal responders down, but it tin beryllium unsafe for them.

"This vigor is simply a enactment of information for them truthful they're capable to telephone emergencies, they're capable to scope retired to their peers to get assistance," said Mark Burgess, Halifax Fire's part main of exertion and innovation.

"If they cannot communicate, past they cannot bash that."

To soften this issue, Halifax Fire's communications technician created a prototype of a portable DVRS. It allows archetypal responders to carry it with them and extend vigor connection, alternatively than it being built into an exigency vehicle.

Burgess said the prototype is not yet being utilized successful exigency situations, but Halifax Fire has been investigating it for the past fewer months.

The enactment has since fixed the prototype to researchers with Nova Scotia Community College's applied probe squad successful hopes of making it adjacent better.

Jacob Woods, a probe subordinate with the team, said 1 contented identified with the existent prototype is however dense it is.

"So they're successful a unreserved to get retired — 30 seconds, a infinitesimal — doesn't dependable similar much," Wood said. "For a firefighter who's trying to respond to an emergency, it adds immoderate beauteous important time."

He said they're hoping to marque the instrumentality lighter truthful it's easier to carry.

"In a cleanable world, we're hoping to truly slim down the size of this," Woods said. "But we're inactive successful the aboriginal preliminary stages here, conscionable getting a amended consciousness of what's successful the box, what the instrumentality is and what we tin bash with it."

Fire departments person been seeing an summation successful calls successful the past fewer years, Burgess said, which will necessitate amended equipment.

"Any clip that we are capable to spell successful and bash our occupation safely, that's a payment to the public," helium said.