The Fire Chief of the Houston Fire Department recommends that City Council approve an ordinance authorizing the appropriation of $ 3,517,479.00 out of the Equipment Acquisition Fund (1800). The appropriation will cover the purchases of EPIC 3 Communication equipment for the Houston Fire Department. The EPIC 3 Communication System enables Houston Fire Fighters and Hazmat Technicians clear radio voice communication between crew members, other fire department units, incident commanders, and fire dispatchers during emergency incidents. The voice communication system operates with HFD’s new Self Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), field radio equipment, and provides enhanced voice intelligibility and mechanical noise suppression directly in the face piece while operating in loud environments. The SCBA integrated microphone and speaker provide radio users the ability to transmit and receive communications through the connected field radio. The EPIC 3 Communication system will replace existing EZ Communication devices, which are no longer manufactured. Additional Radios were purchased using previously appropriated funds.
FISCAL NOTE:
There is no estimated impact to the operating budget as a result of this CIP project.
Form “A”s are attached in Novus.