City of Tampa

The City of Tampa recently completed one of its most significant public safety technology advancements in decades: a comprehensive modernization of its fire dispatching and station alerting systems. Under the leadership of Mike Terracciano of Technology and Innovation and Fire Chief Barbara Tripp of Tampa Fire Rescue, this initiative transformed a 30‑year‑old dispatch platform into a fully modern, AI‑enabled ecosystem that now serves as a critical operational foundation for emergency response in Tampa.

For many years, the accredited department relied on manual, radio‑driven processes centered around the Communications Division. Nearly all operational information, unit movements and field coordination flowed through a single radio talk group, consuming more than half of available airtime. Every notification had to be verbally reported and manually entered,  creating substantial workload for dispatch personnel and limiting the department’s ability to evolve or scale.

Replacing a 1999 System and Selecting the Modern Platform

This modernization marks Tampa Fire Rescue’s successful migration away from the AS/400 CAD system installed in 1999, a platform that reliably served the department for nearly three decades, through June 2026. After an extensive evaluation, Tampa selected Motorola Solutions’ PremierOne and MachAlert as the next‑generation dispatch and alerting systems. The agreement was approved on December 24, 2024, establishing a clear path forward toward modernization.

Delivered Precisely on Time and On Budget

The project carried a planned end date of June 23, 2026 and a budget of $3.9 million. Through disciplined planning and coordinated execution, the entire initiative was delivered exactly on time and on budget, with every interfaced system fully operational at cutover, a rare accomplishment for a modernization effort of this scale.

Training an Entire Department

Preparing the organization was a critical component of success. Over six weeks, Tampa Fire Rescue trained:

• 800 firefighters and

• 18 dispatchers

using tailored training tracks for super users, end users and system administrators. This ensured a smooth transition and widespread competency across the department.

Modern Capabilities and Real‑Time Situational Awareness

The upgraded ecosystem delivers significant advancements in integration, information sharing and situational awareness:

• Firefighters now view detailed event information on multiple display boards within each station.

• Mobile and in‑vehicle systems provide incident details, historical address data, premise hazards and visibility into other responding units.

“While Mike Terracciano credits the entire team and rightfully so his steady guidance remained the North Star.”

• The updated PremierOne Mobile mapping platform now mirrors the capabilities used by Tampa’s police units, displaying live unit locations and CAD comments directly within the map interface.

• The MachAlert mobile app, deployed on iPhones in all apparatus, provides supplemental alerting and optional routing through Apple Maps.

• Alarm notifications are transmitted automatically to stations, vehicle computers, radios and mobile devices, with each component actively monitored. Any failure triggers immediate follow‑up from central dispatch, eliminating historical single points of failure.

Expanded Data Integrations and Reporting Tools

The modernization also included the development of seven major interfaces to external systems, including:

• 911 call data

• Location services

• ESRI mapping

• Other mission‑critical platforms

Additionally, Tampa Fire Rescue now has access to SSRS reporting tools with numerous standard reports built specifically for public safety operations, enabling improved data analysis and operational insight.

A Highly Coordinated Multi‑Team Effort

This achievement was made possible through exceptional coordination between multiple vendors, including Motorola Solutions and MachAlert, alongside Tampa Fire Rescue, the City’s Technology and Innovation Department and key external partners. Among these partners was National Public Safety Group, serving as a professional consultant with extensive experience guiding large‑scale police and fire implementations nationwide.

Cutover and Operational Launch

During cutover week, an onsite, round‑the‑clock support team assisted dispatchers, fire stations and field units to ensure a stable launch. On June 23rd, 2026, the new system went live, marking the culmination of a multiyear effort defined by strong leadership, collaboration and disciplined execution.

Since launch, alarm notifications and unit status updates have been fully automated, significantly reducing radio traffic and allowing dispatchers to remain focused on incident coordination and callers in crisis. This modernized platform supports Tampa Fire Rescue’s annual workload of approximately 90,000 calls for service, plus additional administrative call volumes.

A Foundation for Future Innovation

The new system establishes a resilient and scalable foundation for future capabilities, including:

• Advanced analytics

• Expanded medical scripting

• Rich real‑time data integrations

• Enhanced interagency coordination

Most importantly, it represents a strategic leap forward in public safety service delivery for the City of Tampa.

Leadership at the Core of Success

The success of this project was no accident. It resulted from precise planning, exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment. While Mike Terracciano credits the entire team and rightfully so his steady guidance remained the north star throughout the multiyear initiative, providing the direction and determination needed to deliver this modern, reliable and intelligent system that will serve Tampa’s firefighters, dispatchers and residents for years to come.