Gainesville fire departments may be responding to 911 calls faster after the Gainesville City Commission unanimously approved a proposed fire alert system upgrade Thursday.
The outdated system will be replaced by a digital system that includes response time clocks and improved alert tones to help reduce stress levels of firefighters.
Fire departments hope to implement the system at the end of the fiscal year in September. The upgrade is expected to cost about $488,000, according to the City Manager’s Office. The majority of the cost will go toward the base system.
Gainesville Fire Rescue Operations Chief Michael Cowart, said it’s important to have a streamlined system to respond as quickly as possible.
“Every second counts with an emergency whether its EMS or fire, so anything we can do the help increase our rapid response time will be better,” he said.