During emergencies, it is critical that our nation’s law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, and other responders have true priority for their communications needs. FirstNet recently deployed a wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety. However, not all solutions are built the same, as such, Peer Communications specializes in building antenna systems that amplify public safety communication via radio frequency (RF) signal coverage in large government buildings and facilities as well as sprawling campus area.

Our ERRCS and Carrier DAS for government organizations & facilities comply with building codes and fire safety ordinances for indoor emergency responder radio frequency signal strength, coverage and capacity requirements of local jurisdictions, NFPA and FFC.

The Right Solution
As one can imagine, there’s a multitude of factors to consider when selecting a DAS solution to deploy. There’s no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ solution; therefore, the dimensions of the infrastructure and the location in which it is located, the energy usage and overhead costs, as well as the number of operators necessary — are just a few points to address. Ultimately, these elements will greatly influence which DAS solution is the best option to amplify indoor radio frequency (RF) & cellular signal inside large government buildings and facilities.

Requirements
So, what do these comprehensive solutions require? Generally speaking, this Public Safety system or First Responder DAS (Distributed Antenna System), is mandated in building requirements for countless municipalities. The network retransmits fire or police radio frequencies from outside the building (where the signal is presumably stronger) into the building, where it’s usually weaker or nonexistent. While ERRCS is referenced in the new International Building Codes (IBC) standards, the requirements are mandated and usually fall under the local authority having jurisdiction (AHJ) or fire marshal. These systems have strict requirements and must be well thought out and engineered ahead of development.