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Dear ADENA Partners, our latest case study highlights how AREC is supporting real-life heroes – the West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS). Our products are part of a system designed by Hadleigh Technical Support in collaboration with our distributor, Tukans (The CUK Group). This solution has significantly enhanced WMFS’s training procedures, enabling both new recruits and experienced officers to be better prepared for a wide range of emergency scenarios.
The West Midlands Fire Service is the second most important fire and rescue service in England. It covers an area of approximately 1000 square kilometres and serves a population of about three million people across seven local authorities: Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall, and Wolverhampton. However, it is not only the size of the area that makes this fire service so vital – it is also the fact that it includes some of the most deprived communities in the country. With associated socio-economic and health-related challenges, the risk of fires and other emergencies is particularly high, meaning the fire service must always be prepared for any situation at all times. To this end, the fire service sought a professional AV system for its headquarters – one that would support comprehensive training sessions and enhance emergency preparedness.
Partnering with Hadleigh Technical Support, our UK distributor Tukans (The CUK Group) provided a solution based on the AREC LS-860 Media Station, alongside products from other brands. This model of Media Station can process up to four video sources simultaneously, combining them with custom graphics and mixing them into user-defined video layouts. The station records these video sources in two ways – both in a specified layout and as individual video files. Recordings are saved internally on the LS-860’s 2TB hard drive, but can also be stored on NAS, USB drives, or other external storage devices. The LS-860 can also output connected video sources in various modes, whether in customisable video layouts or as looping feeds on local displays – a feature that was particularly important for achieving the fire service’s training goals.
At the WMFS headquarters, our station recorded video from multiple CI-22H cameras and computers running scenario simulator software. The cameras were positioned throughout the facility – some capturing the trainees, others focused on the examiners. The computers simulated a variety of emergency situations that might occur in the field. Combined views of these video sources were displayed in control and training rooms, made possible by the loop-through capabilities of the LS-860 and signal management provided by Netvio’s IP‑JP4‑60 AVoIP products. Netvio devices distributed different sources and LS-860 outputs to these rooms with visually lossless latency.
Another feature that made the LS-860 the perfect fit for this scenario was its ability to record individual audio sources onto individual video files. This enabled assessors to review each participant’s performance independently of the audio from the simulator software or other microphones. This functionality also allowed the fire service to conduct multiple training sessions simultaneously using just one Media Station, making it an even more valuable choice for the institution.
As for audio, a Symetrix DSP was used. It seamlessly combined clear audio inputs from ClockAudio C-303-D array hanging microphones and Televic Unite radio microphones. The Symetrix device distributed the audio feeds to various endpoints, including the LS-860 and Vaddio Dante ceiling speakers.
Although the system was only installed a few days ago, it is already helping the fire service deliver better training for its staff. Take a look at the video below to see the system in action!
Interested in creating a similar solution for your customer? Contact us at www.a-dena.com, and let’s discuss your project needs at your convenience!
