Sky Harbor Airport Deploys Interoperable Communications Solutions To Enhance Airport Public Safety, Security And Well-Being

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport has completed the deployment of the FS Codespear interoperable industry platform to enhance airport public safety, security and emergency communication.

In addition to the implementation of FS Codespear's core SmartMsg 5.2 application suite, Sky Harbor also collaborated with FS Codespear on the development of the new "Scenario Manager" Module, which is an integrated Incident Planning & Execution Tool that allows for the definition of "Tiered Response Plans," based on Incident Events and their dependencies with other Tasks, Resources, or Procedures. This application module sets a new paradigm in achieving NIMS compliance and electronic execution of Response Plans and Mutual Aid Requests.

"We are pleased to partner with FS Codespear to enhance inter-agency communication and public safety at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport," commented Paul Hamersly, Deputy Aviation Director - Technology. "The interoperable FS Codespear SmartMsg system enables over 1,000 emergency management, first responder and aviation department personnel to coordinate prepare and respond to incidents with greater coordination than previously possible."

More than 41 million total passengers passed through Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport in 2006. Sky Harbor is the fifth largest airport in North America. As part of an initiative to enhance the communication around key events, Phoenix Sky Harbor undertook a project to replace their legacy Alert Notification System, which was limited in overall communications capabilities and lacked redundancy in the event of an extreme event disrupting communications or power infrastructure.

"The speed at which SmartMsg can initiate critical communication to any type of communication device, coupled with the application's support for distributed and redundant servers, including ruggedized mobile laptops on secure wireless networks was crucial to our internal level of service and emergency operations standards," commented Robert Koch, Lead User Technology Specialist, Phoenix Aviation Department. "FS Codespear delivered a solution fully tailored to our needs, without customizing software and provided excellent implementation and technical support."

SOURCE: Federal Signal