The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal FIRE) operates four technology-enhanced training centers located throughout California. They are used for year-round training in fire protection and prevention. The original and largest Cal FIRE Training Center (CFTC) is at their 420-acre campus near the city of Ione in Northern California, which has upgraded the audiovisual technology, adding Extron DTP systems with live annotation and intuitive AV control to support advanced instruction for firefighters and other personnel.
The training center, which was last remodeled in the 1990s, provides advanced instruction for firefighters and other personnel in fire prevention, emergency response, and law enforcement related to fires. Firefighters are trained using the latest techniques, tools, and equipment, which includes AV technology. Though not highly advanced, the existing AV system was plagued by performance issues and ongoing reliability concerns.
The current remodel saw refreshed interiors and an overhaul of the AV systems, with significantly enhanced technology and expanded capabilities. The CFTC consists of five large classrooms, various meeting spaces, and two auditoriums. Each room had to include an independent AV presentation system with high-performance AV switching, optimal image quality, dependable signal integrity over long distances, and user-friendly system control. The solution also had to be flexible and reliable. The plan called for use of the existing conduit, although cable pass-through space was limited; some rooms would require wall penetration.
The instructors had several requests for the new AV systems. A top request was to be able to annotate over video. Another wish was for augmented visibility, particularly to display a sand table from a variety of angles during live fire demonstrations.
Part of a broad remodel, AV systems were modernized across the campus. Each space now features an independent presentation system designed for high-performance switching, reliable long-distance signal transmission, clear image quality, and simple annotation tools, all supported by a new shielded twisted-pair cable infrastructure.
“The Extron Annotator makes system usage effortless and intuitive, empowering users to focus on creativity rather than complexity,” said Teo Nguyen, senior systems engineer/programmer at AV Structural, the integrator on the project. "Extron control systems, with provided certified drivers and toolkits, helped me get the programming tasks done quickly and perfectly."
Structural modifications were made to facilitate installation of ceiling-mounted Panasonic projection systems, Samsung Pro wall displays, and additional sources, as well as upgraded AV systems. A shielded twisted pair cable infrastructure was installed to enable AV and control distribution throughout the space.
An Extron DTP system provides flexible signal distribution within each classroom, auditorium, and meeting space. Other Extron products in the space include a 4K/60 annotation processor, a ShareLink Pro wireless gateway, and a TouchLink Pro 10-inch touchpanel.
With a centralized equipment room distributing signals throughout the training center, Cal FIRE’s upgraded rooms standardize operation through consistent control interfaces while supporting flexible room configurations. Partition-sensor automation automatically adapts the AV setup when the movable wall between the two auditoriums is opened or closed. Cal FIRE reports that the Extron AV systems with annotation have significantly enhanced CFTC learning environments, improving reliability and ease of use so instructors can focus on teaching rather than troubleshooting technology.
"The specified manufacturer was experiencing issues with product availability, so we were freed up to recommend our go-to AV company, Extron," explained Tom Bustillos, general manager, AV Structural. "Once we got the go-ahead to provide a new turnkey design that would virtually replace system components in all areas except three conference rooms, we proceeded to procure the readily available products and deploy state-of- the-art Extron-centric AV systems in all classrooms and auditoriums. The systems couldn’t be any more robust."
