DUNCAN – City officials spent more than $25,000 on new tablets so Duncan firefighters can operate more efficiently when communicating with police officers and the dispatch center.
The Duncan City Council authorized the expense at the April 27 meeting. The total cost of the seven GETAC F110 Rugged 11.5-inch tablets was $25,195. The city made the purchase based on the Texas Department of Information Resources statewide contract.
Duncan Fire Chief Dayton Burnside said the price was the best available in the public or private sector.
The Rugged tablets will enable the fire department to interface with the city’s new CAD system, which the police and dispatch center already use.
Tablets “offer us a lot more capability,” Burnside said. “It will allow us to be more efficient and effective. It will be a great asset to the department.”
Duncan’s seven front-line firetrucks will be equipped with the tablets, the chief said.
The tablets will be delivered and installed in about seven weeks. The tablets can be used for any events such as hydrant planning, navigation, inclement weather and any other emergencies that might occur, Burnside said.
The website, Ruggedpcreview.com, describes the tablet as a “reinvention of what a tough, durable, versatile tablet for deployment in the field should be, one that can take punishment, and survive bumps and drops and intense dust and liquid exposure. And also, one that provides state-of-the-art performance and functionality.”