New DoubleTalker Headset System from Falcon Wireless!

Yep, that's Candice modeling one of our newest products.  Looks like a headset doesn't it?  Well it's a whole lot more than that!  This is the thing that you wear on your head as a part of the DoubleTalker system.  Not only does it protect the hearing of firefighters, but it can potentially lower insurance rates, and keep fire departments out of court!

It's not just any old headset.   DoubleTaker can provide wireless connection through an associated mobile radio to allow the wearer to talk back to dispatch with the full power of a mobile at distances of up to ONE MILE away from the fire truck!  It works with VHF, UHF, 700 or 800 MHz mobile radios; analog or digital - makes no difference!

Two models are available.  One can operate on up to 16 VHF channels, the other on UHF. The price is right - just $398 per headset INCLUDING the radio.  The truck unit just plugs into the accessory connector of the associated mobile radio (not included unless you want us to provide the mobile, which we will gladly do if you wish).

The truck unit requires no installation or special setup.  No external antenna, no programming, no electrical connection - nothing except plugging it in.  The price is right - Just $695 complete.  AND, we are offering a special introductory price to make the offer even better!  Additional information is available by clicking here!

700 MHz Coming Soon To A City Near You!

Public safety communications users should be aware of the fact that each state in the USA has a deadline of June 13, 2014 to provide or be prepared to provide substantial 700 MHz service to at least one-third of the population of the state.  Those that do not comply could lose frequencies assigned for the development of a statewide 700 MHz system.

And, it gets more interesting!  By 2019, at least two-thirds of the population must be served.  We think this should be of interest to smaller rural counties.  Obviously, the state will focus on the big population centers first, but we feel that aggressive smaller counties are in an excellent position to request funding for single site 700 MHz repeaters.  This could be a win-win situation for the state, your county, and first responders that travel outside their home area.  An article providing more information on this subject is available by clicking here.  If you would like our thoughts on wide area interoperability, click here.

Tee Call System for better golf course administration and happy golfers

Today, the key to success in business is CUSTOMER SERVICE!  As an example, visit you local golf course and see how well they take care of you.  The best ones are 100% committed to make sure that you have the best playing experience possible!  We have long supplied wireless call boxes for ordering food and beverages on the course.  We didn't come up with the idea, but a course manager on the Alabama gulf coast asked us if we could provide a wireless PA system to let guests know when they were next in line to begin play.  He wondered if it could be done for less than a thousand dollars.  The answer was, and is, YES!

Wired PA systems are expensive, both in terms of equipment cost and installation.  The new LoudMouth wireless PA unit can be placed anywhere that AC power is available.  Better yet, it can be controlled from a fixed station unit in the golf shop, or anywhere within a one mile radius from a VHF or UHF portable radio.  We even have one version that does not require an FCC license.  If you are a golf course manager, and you would like to provide the ultimate in guest services, you need to look into our Tee Call System using LoudMouth technology.

For additional information without obligation, just give us a call at 800.489.2611 or drop us an email to ServingUServingU@falcondirect.com.  And, BTW, if the high cost of purchasing and maintaining two way radios is our of control, you need to be talking to us!  Tell you what we will do.  You fill out a simple form telling us a little more about what radios you are now using, and we will come back to you with recommendations to cut equipment purchase cost, extend useful life, reduce downtime, and drastically cut maintenance cost.  We may be able to save you enough money to pay for a Tee Call System.  Just click here to download the Questionnaire. You can fill it in on line in just a few minutes, then return it to us for a free no charge report.  You have everything to win, and nothing to lose!

Fire Department Litigation Exposure Solution

How do you KNOW you are getting the call?

Our fire department friends know all about ISO ratings and NFPA standards.  For the benefit of those who don't know so much about such things, let us just say that the lower the rating, the better the potential for reduced property insurance rates.  ISO and NFPA compliance is also an essential element for litigation avoidance!

We don't like to think about such things, but the fact is that there are thousands of lawyers out there specializing in negligence claims.  If someone dies, or is seriously injured, or there is major property damage, and you are late making the call (or don't make it at all), THAT is just what they are waiting for.  Knowledge of a problem, and not doing anything about it is classed as negligence and THAT can be a problem!

Falcon Wireless is in the "time and money" business, or more specifically reducing the time required to respond to an emergency and to save money for those providing and receiving services.  We do this by providing the infrastructure to quickly alert personnel (in particular volunteer personnel) and to provide the ability for dispatch to more efficiently communicate with first responders, incident commanders, and support services.

We have a number of products available to help you get those lower ISO ratings and reduce litigation exposure.  The first is known as an InstalertR, (pronounced insta-lerter) exclusively offered by Falcon Wireless. 

As you will note in the picture at the left, it is relatively small (not much larger than a desk calculator), easy to use (three lights and buttons).  What it does is to INSTANTLY tell a dispatch operator if (a) the control radio at dispatch is not transmitting or (b) if an associated repeater is not transmitting, per ISO and NFPA standards. 

 If you are looking for a way to get a better ISO rating and to provide better service to your community, to save lives and property, AND to stay our of court; the InstalertR is a simple and efficient solution.  It's available in either VHF or UHF and is compatible with all analog and digital radio systems including DMR (MotoTRBO), NXDN (ICOM and Kenwood), and P25 (both Phase 1 and Phase 2. This is the only product of it's type and it's only $1,549!  For a demonstration, give us a call at 800.489.2611. In the meantime, additional information is available by going to Info4u.us/InstaLertR.

A Special Message to Mayors, Council Members, and Administrators

Picture This!

A city like yours where everyone works as part of a team with a common goal of making that city a better place to live, work, and play. We can help you make that happen!

There was once a time when our cities got along without federal government handouts. As the federal well goes dry, the need to get back to the basics of making do with what we have is rapidly returning. 

To make matters worse, the demand for services is increasing along with higher operating costs, the need for more safety in our schools, increasing crime, and litigation expense, while tax revenues are shrinking. Add to this the need to deal with catastrophic weather, increasing federal compliance requirements, and the need to better communicate in times of emergency, and we find ourselves pretty close to the perfect storm!

That is why we have developed the Alliance21 program to address the needs of today with common sense solutions that are not dependent on federal government funding. You can learn more about this new program at www.Alliance21.us.   Better yet, we would like to arrange a meeting with you to provide a more complete explanation of how this program can benefit your city, and the proposed plan to move to the next step.

The following are the key components of the Alliance21 program and how they can benefit your community.

Collaboration
The secret of success is working together and combining resources to achieve a common goal.  We call it the principal of Power/Squared.  You can learn more about this concept at FalconCommunityServices.com

Compliance
Knowing, or not knowing the requirements of the EPA, FCC, ISO, NFPA, and OSHA (among others) can make a real difference in how you conduct your activities.  Lack of knowledge can put you at substantial risk for fines and litigation.  For an example of how lack of compliance and be a major issue for a fire department, see info4u.us/Picture_This.pdf.

Safety
Making and keeping our schools and cities safe is a task that can be greatly improved by working together. A shared cost system called SparkGap is the foundation of a cost shared network that can benefit everyone in the community.  More information is available at info4u.us/Sparkgap.pdf.

Sustainability

To be effective, we must be efficient.  To be efficient, we must have administrative control, the highest levels of productivity, resource management, and the ability to develop new sources of revenue. We'll be telling you more about proactive plans at info4u.us/Sustainability.pdf. 

The next step is to call me, Burch Falkner, at 205.854.2611 and let me know a good time when we can meet.  I'll take it from there!

A Special Message to Police Chiefs

PICTURE THIS IN YOUR COMMUNITY!

It's a bad guy, Arnold the assaulter!  He is in a convenience store, a credit union, a court room, or worst of all - in one of your schools.  Maybe he only wants money, or he may have mayhem on his mind.  In either event, the odds are in his favor that he will succeed in his endeavor because time is on his side!

His buddy is Bill the burglar.  He specializes in stealing things, not so much from people directly, but by breaking into unoccupied premises, both business and residential.  His cousin, Carl the car thief, specializes in vehicle theft. Like his cousin, Arnold the assaulter, he knows that time is on his side as well. Rarely does it take more than a few minutes to complete his mission since in the typical city, the response time averages around ten minutes.

One of the worst of the bunch is the guy that causes more damage than the value of what he steals - Calvin the copper thief.  For a few hundred dollars worth of copper, he will destroy a ten thousand dollar air conditioner or a half million dollar unoccupied residence or construction site. The property owner suffers not only the temporary loss of the premises and the cost of replacement, but the insurance deductible (if they have insurance).  Worse yet, Calvin will sometimes commit arson to cover his tracks.

Arnold, Bill, Calvin, and Carl all have one thing in common.  TIME is in their favor! On average, they have about ten minutes before law enforcement shows up. Until those odds change, the bad guys win and your community will continue to pay in terms of property loss, higher insurance rates, the risk of personal assault, and loss of productivity.  Fortunately, there is something that you can do about it.  You can tell your Mayor and council that you support a new program known as Alliance21.us based on new technology known as SparkGap which can help reduce your response time from ten minutes or more to less than two minutes! 

This program can also benefit your fire department by reducing response time, avoiding litigation (a benefit to you as well - details available on request).  Additional information on the fire department program is available at info4u.us/Picture_This.pdf. The benefits to those you serve, including banks, business owners, churches, convenience stores, credit unions, day care centers, hospitals, industrial plants, medical clinics, neighborhoods, pharmacies, and private schools are incalculable!

The cost of participation for your department can range from minimal to nothing, depending on availability of funds (a topic for a later discussion) and support by your community (See info4u.us/Stakeholders.pdf for additional information).  We will be presenting the details of this program to your Mayor and Council shortly.  In the meantime, we would appreciate your review of the information available at  falconcommunityservices.com. If you agree that this could be a good thing for your community, we request that you let your city administrators know that you support the Alliance21.us program.  Thank you!  For more information, email us at ServingU@falconcommunityservices.com or give us a call at 205.854.2611.  

                                                                                                

A Special Message to Fire Chiefs!

PICTURE THIS IN YOUR COMMUNITY!

This might have been prevented if the local fire department had known about the SparkGap system and been an Alliance21 participant.  The church could have purchased a low cost alarm notification unit that could have notified first responders in the event of unauthorized entry, smoke detection, even tampering with the air conditioner.  Within 5 seconds or less, SparkGap can alert church leaders, the local fire department, police department, or all three as applicable.  The entire system could cost the church, school, or business LESS than the cost of the typical deductible for those who have insurance!

The SparkGap system can speed up 911 calls as well.  With a single keystroke, a 911 call taker can transmit the entire incident information to first responders with message delivery accomplished and acknowledged within less than 10 seconds!  There is no need for a call taker to select a dispatch radio or broadcast a voice message and wait for a reply.  The message can be sent to a single department, multiple departments, and selected officials as desired.

The first responders don't have to lug around a two pound radio with a big antenna poking them in the ribs.  They simply WEAR a tiny device known as a Responder that weighs less than four ounces.  Batteries last DAYS, not hours before recharging is necessary, and the user can selectively choose whether to be audibly or silently alerted.

Being late to the fire has SERIOUS consequences.  Loss of life, injury, and property damage resulting from negligence is a trial lawyers dream.  If it can be proven that your department was in violation of ISO, NFPA, and/or OSHA standards, your department is at major litigation risk.  The fact is that you most likely ARE in violation of ALL the above standards.  The good news is that these issues can be quickly addressed and resolved at minimal expense (a LOT less that the cost of legal defense, whether the case is valid or not).  SparkGap, along with other products exclusively available from Falcon Wireless Direct can provide efficient, affordable solutions.

If that isn't enough bad news, your police department faces similar legal exposure. What you don't know CAN hurt you. Fortunately, we have a solution that is being proposed to the Mayor of your city.  Our proposal includes addressing the needs all the needs of your city, including courtroom security, the police department, public works, schools, transportation, and utilities.

And, the Sparkgap system can serve the safety and security needs of banks, business owners, churches, convenience stores, credit unions, day care centers hospitals, industrial plants, medical clinics, neighborhoods, pharmacies, private schools, and others who may be at risk for armed robbery, burglary, fire, or vandalism

If you would like to know more, please visit falconcommunityservices.com.  Do a good thing for your community.  Tell your Mayor and council that your department supports the Alliance21.us program.  Email us at ServingU@falconcommunityservices.com or give us a call at 205.854.2611 for more information.                

Mass Notification - Are YOU required to comply?

We were recently invited to visit a manufacturing facility in Georgia for the purpose of satisfying OSHA requirements for mass notification in the event of an emergency (Click here for an overview of the requirements). A cursory review indicated that lack of OSHA compliance could be SERIOUS with fines ranging between $7,000 and $70,000 per violation.

The number of employees ranged from around 250 to 500 with an average of about 350. The cost of installing a plant wide PA system was close to $200,000.  We could have done it for half the cost using wireless technology but the prospective customer wanted a free on-site engineering survey with no assurance that our proposal would be accepted.  We walked away from the "opportunity". Since that time, we have learned there is another way to help both large and small employers to provide an efficient and affordable mass notification system that can be tested in a matter of minutes with no charge for the survey.  Whether you have a single employee or a thousand, we've got your solution at a fraction of the cost of a wired, or even a wireless PA system.  For additional information, give us a call at 800.489.2611 or email ServingU@falcondirect.com. 

Are you effectively collaborating?

Most 2-way radio users don't think of themselves as collaborators, but the fact is that the primary function of 2-way radio is to allow collaboration (i.e. work together).  In modern day language, collaboration means a great deal more than the traditional definition.  Understanding what it really means can have a great deal of importance on every 2-way user.

One of the better commentaries of today's meaning of collaboration is available by clicking here. The fact is that the "walkie talkies" that you may be now using as a commercial, governmental, or institutional user might be improved by enhancing capabilities, reducing operational cost and eliminating maintenance downtime. The trick is to determine how to improve your collaboration capabilities.  This normally starts with a review of what you have, what you need, and what you wish you had.

To assist you in meeting your objective, we have prepared a two page questionnaire that will allow us to analyze your current capabilities and then submit recommendations for improvement.  There is no cost or obligation associated with this service and your information will not be shared with others. To download the questionnaire, click here.  Take a few minutes to complete and return the form.  Your time will be WELL invested - guaranteed!  If you have any questions, just give us a call at 800.489.2611.

Anybody know what an InstalertR is?

This is a test for Fire Chiefs, City Administrators, and Mayors. The device at the left is called an InstalertR (pronounced insta-lerter). It costs $1,549. It can help you get a better ISO rating which can help reduce insurance rates in your community. That's a good thing!

As insurance rates go down, property values increase.  As property values increase, the tax base goes up. So, would a one time investment of $1,495 be worth more tax revenues? I don't know.  You tell me.  You can call me at 800.489.2611, or you can email me - Burch@The-Communicators.net. . 

Now let me ask you another question.  Would you be interested in this device if it could save you a minimum of $25,000 and possibly much, much more? Aside from reducing insurance rates for your community, there is another really good reason for considering the purchase of an InstalertR.  It's called, LITIGATION AVOIDANCE!  Now, here's the problem.  One of the more commonly overlooked ISO standards is that a method shall be available to quickly alert and deploy firefighters.  Normally, this is assumed to be via radio to station house receivers for paid departments or by personal alerting receivers for volunteer fire departments (or paid departments also utilizing volunteers).  So far, so good, but there is ANOTHER requirement, and that is that the dispatch center must have some means of assurance that the message has been delivered!  There is not one dispatch center or fire department in a hundred that has this capability!  So why is that important? 

If firefighters and/or rescue personnel (if provided by the fire department) do not get the call and do not show up in a timely manner, and there is major property damage and/or injury or loss of human life as a result of non compliance with the aforementioned, obscure ISO requirement, YOU will soon be meeting a new kid or two with the suffix Esq. behind their name.  They can sue you and they can win UNLESS you can prove the call was sent out.  There are two ways to do this. The InstalertR is one alternative, and we have others. For more information, visit http://info4u.us/InstaLertR.  You'll be glad you did!   

National Interoperability - Needed or Not?

We recently asked a focus group of Alabama Mayors, how they would rank seven services available to their city to improve daily as well as disaster communications needs.  The answers may surprise you!  Coming in at number seven (last place) was National Interoperability.  Even more surprising was how inexpensively, this could be accomplished as you will note from this excerpt of our recent Safe-Place report.

It probably comes as no surprise that the ability to talk to others outside the local area comes in dead last as an essential requirement in times of emergency.  While this could be useful in times of national emergencies by EMA, Hospitals, Military and Transportation agencies, it is of little or no value for municipalities.  A nationwide interconnected network such as the highly touted 700 MHz broadband data network already exists (and would be expected to be among the first communications systems to fail) through commercial cellular carriers, and a private network (FirstNet)  is being planned for use primarily by first responders.

The need for a highly reliable "over the horizon" communications system capable of operating ranges of 300 to 3000 miles COULD be of significant benefit if installed in a hardened structure with a roof top antenna (no tower) and available backup power.  HF radio equipment operating in the 1.6 to 29.9999 MHz range is ideally suited for providing "over the horizon" communications for voice, fax, email, and data communications at very reasonable cost

One of the better offerings is the ICOM F8101 priced at under $4,000 excluding transmission cable and installation is capable of statewide or worldwide coverage.  Unlike earlier HF radios, this radio does NOT require specialized set up or advanced operator training.  It is designed to be rarely used, but fully functional, easy to use, and reliable when needed. Product information is available at info4u.us/F8101.pdf

Although ranked lowest in priority, we believe that every municipality should have at least one of these units available at the local hospital, large industrial plant (where it could have other benefits), at the electrical utility, or even at City Hall.  The money can be found to fund the purchase.  We'll be glad to assist. Call us anytime at 800.489.2611 if we can assist in any way.

New Year's Resolutions - Falcon style!

January 1, 2014, Volume 3, Issue 1

New Year's Message from Falcon Direct                                                                                         01/01/2014 Today is the day....... that we went out of Business and in to the endeavor of Serving Others! A New Year, a new way of doing things! You read it right!  We're getting out of business (at least the way that others do business) in order to serve the needs of others. Instead of getting the big contract, or beating the other guy, we have changed our focus to one of serving instead of "selling". I know it sounds a little bizarre but we think it is the right way for us and hopefully for those we serve as well. We have always served Business, Government, and Institutions.  Now we are adding COMMUNITY along with providing a catalyst to help everyone work together for a common goal. The major differences in doing business versus serving Essentially, have divided our business into separate operations, beginning with  Falcon Community Services, the companion to a program called Alliance21. Our regular business activities will be handled through associated web sites referenced at falcondirect.com. Real solutions to real needs now possible Falcon Community Services is the provider of benefits to Alliance21 participants (we call them Stakeholders). We offer common sense solutions to local area interoperability as well as regional and national interoperability. Additionally, we have developed special products to make neighborhoods safer at minimal cost. Free Safe-Place Analysis program One of the major benefits of our new direction is that our services do not require the massive infusion of federal, or even state grant money.  In many cases, the entire program can be underwritten with the SAVINGS associated with participation as an Alliance21 stakeholder. For additional information, give us a call at 800.489.2611 or email ServingU@falcondirect.com. To keep up with the latest events as they happen, please go to falconinfo.blogspot.com and Enter/Submit your email address at the top of the page. We hope you will like our new way of serving you! Burch Falkner and the Falcon Team wish you a very....... HAPPY NEW YEAR!