The challenge – supporting situational awareness
The Stare Bielsko Volunteer Fire Department (VFD), with a history dating back to 1886, is one of the most active units of its kind in Bielsko County. In addition to regular rescue, training, and prevention activities, it organizes numerous educational and fire safety awareness-raising events. In 2019, a Search and Rescue Group was also established at the unit.
Firefighters use advanced equipment and specialized mobile applications to support rescue coordination and improve situational awareness. In order for these tools to function at the highest level, proper management and regular software updates are essential. The VFD needed a solution to effectively manage the ruggedized phones and applications used in the unit – ATAK, SIRON.
The solution – Proget system
Implementing the Proget system at the VFD enabled remote management of Samsung XCover6 Pro ruggedized smartphones designed for extreme conditions. These devices provide seamless connectivity, can be operated with protective gloves, and can be connected to external screens and keyboards, transforming them into functional computers.
Thanks to Proget, the unit was also able to quickly, remotely, and securely distribute the ATAK and SIRON apps to firefighters’ smartphones.
ATAK (Android Team Awareness Kit) is an intuitive map tool that makes it easy to manage diverse teams (from rescuers with dogs to drones). It also allows groups to share information and monitor their location in real time.
SIRON, on the other hand, allows planning search zones and sending rescuers to them. It also shows the current location of teams and provides information about the searched area in the form of an image, drawn on a map on the phone.
The Proget system has integrated both of the VFD’s essential components: rugged devices and applications, creating a cutting-edge solution that supports complex tasks with the highest safety standards.
Features applied
Benefits of the implementation
- Quick access to the latest versions of ATAK and SIRON applications for all members of the unit.
- Elimination of the need to collect devices for manual configuration or software updates.
- Increased coordination and better situational awareness during emergency operations.
- Efficient management of ruggedized Samsung smartphones.
Customer recommendation
With Proget, we don’t have to collect all the devices from our unit members when we need to make any updates or configuration changes. We also use the ability to group users to send dedicated messages to individual team members.
Łukasz Czernik, CEO
Stare Bielsko Volunteer Fire Department
Check out the Proget solution for uniformed services.
