Turnout Information Manager (TIM)

 

Although pagers are an inexpensive way to deliver turnout messages to large numbers of staff and volunteers they are limited in their ability to present the messages in a human friendly form. Late at night and early in the morning it is difficult to extract all the vital information while turning out an appliance.

 

The Turnout Information Manger (TIM) is a computer program takes these same pager messages and reformats them in a much more human friendly format (large coloured display, printed copies with location map and spoken out loud). The display can be presented on multiple (LCD) displays placed at strategic locations around the station allowing crews to read them while getting dressed and while radioing out to VicFire. By using low cost video splitters TIM output can be sent to up to 8 displays from a single computer. Voice output is via the computer sound card and piped into the station PA system. Maps can be printed on any modern (inkjet or laser) printer. TIM is designed to run on “standard” computer hardware.

 

The major features of TIM are …

 

1.                   Display pager messages on large/multiple LCD screens

2.                   Colour coded display timer to indicate SDS compliance

3.                   Speak pager messages with realistic voice

4.                   Print map of Melways reference

5.                   Can identify Primary and Support calls

6.                   Does not rely existing CFA infrastructure

7.                   Requires no user intervention

8.                   Many features can be enabled/disabled with configuration settings

9.                   Can display map on screen if computer has 2nd video card

10.               Can attach “additional information” to an address or location

 

                

 

Sample display layout                                                     Sample printer layout

 

 

Sample TIM Voice message

TIM screen layouts and screen placement

TIM Connections

 

TIM was developed by a CFA volunteer at the Hallam Fire Station and is based on a review of station requirements. TIM is a “second generation” supplemental turnout system that does more than simply duplicate the output of a pager on a screen or over an audio channel – TIM interprets the pager messages and generates edited and formatted output.

 

TIM is not designed to improve SDS, but is a tool to provide better information in those vital seconds when turning out.

Computer Hardware

The computing requirements for TIM are quite low. The “Minimum Specs” for the computer hardware are as follows ….

 

            700mhz Pentium Processor

            512mb memory

            4gb disk

            Sound Card

            1 x Serial Port

            Mouse + Keyboard

            Large Monitor(s) (19”+ LCD capable of at least 1024x768 recommended)

Off Air Decoder (OAD), where the brigade has a PDT2000, or one of the older scribe decoders, they can be used to feed the pager messages to TIM.

            VGA Splitter (If multiple monitors to be used)

            Printer (if Maps required, preferably colour)

            2nd video card (if maps are to be displayed)

            Spare input to the station PA system (if voice over required)

 

Operating System Software

TIM was developed in VB.Net – the Microsoft recommended programming environment for their current and future systems. The minimum software required to support TIM is …

 

            Windows XP with Service Pack 2

            .Net Framework v2.0

 

Voice

A voice with an Australian accent is supplied standard with TIM.

 

Member Call In

TIM can monitor a (mobile) phone line that has Caller ID enabled. When a pager message is received, members who are attending can call the TIM system (using a speed dial number in their phone), TIM will extract the calling phone number from the CLI details, a search for the phone number in the TIM database and w ill convert the number to the member name. The phone is not answered by TIM. The member just needs to wait for it to ring. A list of members preceded by the number of minutes and seconds ago they called, will scroll across the bottom of the TIM screen. The list of members will be cleared when the screen is blanked (usually after 10 minutes).

Maps

Maps are sourced from CFA GIS department, or you can create your own. TIM requires one jpeg file for each map number and map reference (91_A1, 91_A2, etc, etc). 

TIM Instalations

TIM is installed at the following locations:

Hallam, Frankston, Springvale, Dandenong, Mornington, Pakenham, Rosebud, Tyabb, Research, Mildura, Merbein, Ocean Grove, Kangaroo Ground, Cranbourne, Narre Warren North, Narre Warren, Kerang, Phillip Island, Pomonal, Warrandyte, Bittern, Carrum Downs, Greenvale, Berwick, Greenvale, Dromana, Nar Nar Goon, Narre Warren East, Eltham, Montrose, Traralgon, Morwell, Shepparton, Wodonga as well as a about a dozen South Australian Fire Brigades.

 

Contact

 

Holiwill Pty Ltd

P: 0400 892 413

E: dave@holiwill.com.au

W: http://www.holiwill.com.au/TIM

 

 

Additional Assistance

TIM is essentially a piece of software to be run on a computer, if you require assistance locating appropriate hardware or installing the hardware or software required to run TIM, please do not hesitate to contact us as we are able to assist with this too.

 

Copyright: Holiwill Pty Ltd.  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior written permission of the copyright holder.