The New York City Fire Department has completed a communications upgrade replacing a legacy central exchange (Centrex) phone system with a more modern solution.

FDNY selected Verizon Frontline to provide the connectivity solution after deciding to upgrade their Centrex system. Verizon Frontline delivered One Talk T67 LTE devices to serve as the new Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) solution.

The FDNY has migrated over 2,500 existing Centrex telephone lines to Verizon’s One Talk wireless desktop devices within the past year, with the majority located at FDNY Headquarters.

Migrating 2,500+ Lines to a Modern VoIP System

According to the FDNY, the agency has been operationally assessing the solution for several months at various FDNY locations (firehouses, EMS Stations, etc.) and have found that the devices have proven reliable.

The new system is designed to help enable every person in the agency–from office workers at their desks running operations to fire marshals protecting the five boroughs in the field–to reliably communicate with each other at any time.

The FDNY responds to millions of emergency calls each year across NYC’s 302 square miles. The department has 218 firehouses, 39 EMS stations, and additional support facilities like fleet services, fire alarm and emergency medical dispatch, and health services.