Indianapolis Fire Department Leverages Cradlepoint’s Wireless Technology to Extinguish Network Connectivity Challenges

Serving the 12th largest city in the U.S., the IFD’s fleet of 43 fire engines and 22 ladder trucks protects 278 square miles of varying landscape, from farms and countryside to the urban centers of Indianapolis. The department is also responsible for four bureaus, including several divisions such as fire and life safety, special operations, training, fire operations, administration, and EMS. To ensure the IFD can cover such a broad range of environments and operations, the department needed a reliable connectivity solution that covers firefighters wherever duty calls. With Cradlepoint’s cloud-managed LTE solutions in place, the IFD’s IT Department can connect every truck and firefighter no matter where they travel with a network that is easy to manage across Indianapolis.

“When our firefighters respond to a call, they should never have to worry about not getting the mission critical information they need to do their jobs. With Cradlepoint, they can always count on having access to that vital data whenever and wherever they need it,” said Captain Dale Rolfson, IT manager, Indianapolis Fire Department. “We are seeing network stability we didn’t think was possible, and we will be able to tap into other applications that will make our firefighters’ jobs easier. Cradlepoint has taken the pressure off our IT department and given our firefighters peace-of-mind.”

The IFD must respond to emergency calls 24/7, which means it cannot afford to have unreliable connectivity affect its ability to assist people in potentially life-threatening situations. The USB aircards used in the IFD’s legacy network were easily jostled on route, causing the connection to fail and the vehicles to drop off the network. The IFD deployed ruggedized Cradlepoint COR IBR1100 LTE routers that protect against environmental hazards and keep firefighters connected at all times. Additionally, the IFD is leveraging Cradlepoint’s NetCloud platform so that its small IT staff can easily deploy, configure, and update devices from one central location and eliminate any downtime previously associated with in-vehicle upgrades. The streamlined management, analytics, and time savings has given the IT department the opportunity to explore new applications such as live streaming helmet cams, using drones to capture overhead views of a fire in progress, and connecting digital cameras to the network that will allow arson investigators to instantly share photos from the field.

“Cradlepoint is committed to providing software-defined, cloud-based solutions that support the enterprise, no matter if it is in retail, healthcare, transportation, education, or public safety. Connectivity is vital for all of these organizations, including the IFD, as they look to effectively support and manage a growing number of people, places, and things,” said Ian Pennell, chief marketing officer, Cradlepoint. “By supplying customers with SDN, LTE connectivity, and cloud-managed solutions, we ensure the capability to meet the needs of today’s network while providing the scalability to support future growth, too.”