It's one fiery challenge to provide effective mobile communications for a nationwide fire service - reliability, ease of use and interoperability with other agencies are all crucial elements.

So when the New Zealand Fire Service decided to upgrade mobile communications in fire appliances and Hazmat/Command vehicles, it needed to engage communications specialists with a sound understanding and knowledge of the fire service's complex needs.

The challenge was to replace the older Tait T2020 mobiles fitted with custom control heads in NZFS appliances, and to also upgrade the Hazmat/Command vehicles with new mobile radio technology. The Tait TM8250 conventional mobile proved to be the ideal solution for both applications.

TM8250 to the rescue

"We were looking for an off-the-shelf product with all the same functionality and ease of use as our current communications solution within fire appliances. We found that with the TM8250 - interfaced with a touchscreen developed by Steelcom and Data Over Radio," says NZFS Telecommunications Consultant Grahame Love.

"The TM8250 and touch screen solution means firefighters can continue sending status messages at the push of a button. Staff retraining can be minimised due to the similar interface used, and this means less disruption and more communications efficiency," Mr Love says.

Once testing and field trials are completed, this new Tait solution will be gradually rolled out into NZFS fire appliances as required.

Six TM8250 mobiles will also be installed in each NZFS Hazmat/Command vehicle - full mobile command centres developed by NZFS and built by Steelcom, that are deployed at major incidents. The six radios operating on different frequencies mean command vehicle operators can communicate with various agencies such as police and ambulance services, via the mobile radio network as well as landline telephone and cellphone networks.

"One of the major advantages of the TM8250s is the high channel capacity - meaning there's now no need to re-programme radios to new channels when moving between regions," Mr Love says.

"Tait has taken the time to understand our needs - they knew exactly the right product for the job and have helped to develop an effective communications solution for NZFS. They've been really easy to work with."