Gem Ambulance Manage Fleet Remotely

Based in Lakewood, New Jersey, Gem Ambulance is a private medical transportation company servicing more than 100 nursing homes and nursing facilities throughout New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania.

Challenges

Gem operates a modern fleet of state licensed ambulances, Mobility Assistance Vehicles, Specialty Care Transports, Special Bariatric Transports Units and wheelchair accessible buses making between 250 – 300 around-the-clock trips each day, seven days a week. Gem deploys cutting edge communications technology, including computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems and state-of-the-art global positioning systems, to ensure rapid and efficient dispatch of vehicles and crews.

To improve fleet management, Gem employed a well-known third party dispatch tool, but soon found the solution’s features to be insufficient. In order to improve the accuracy of their vehicle tracking data and dispatch assistance capabilities, Gem Ambulance turned to trusted partner FleetEyes to provide a more comprehensive fleet management solution to upgrade its CAD, vehicle tracking and remote diagnostics.

Solution

Working with FleetEyes, Gem Ambulance was introduced to an advanced front and back-end fleet management solution powered by Sierra Wireless AirLink™ 3G cellular gateways. The FleetEyes fleet management solution uses the AirLink PinPoint XT rugged in-vehicle tracking gateway in fleet passenger vans and the AirLink MP597 in-vehicle router with Wi-Fi hotspot for fleet ambulances. The PinPoint XT enables accurate GPS tracking and a reliable data connection, while the MP597 with Wi-Fi allows for the operation of in-vehicle laptops and driver cameras. The rugged, intelligent AirLink platforms are powered by ALEOS™ intelligence and supported by AirLink management software.

The FleetEyes application is fully integrated with GEM Ambulance’s current CAD system, while the AirLink devices provide the cellular and Wi-Fi connectivity for critical two-way data transfer of information, such as vehicle location and speed. With ALEOS’ configurable events reporting engine, AirLink in-vehicle gateways and routers report real-time status and event notifications to ensure time-sensitive information is presented in the right place, at the right time, for better decision-making and overall system efficiency. The data captured through the FleetEyes / Sierra Wireless fleet management solution also allows Gem Ambulance to resolve customer complaints by reviewing routes and timing to view actual event information and improve performance moving forward.

“As a business you always want to keep your costs down. As we analyzed our purchase decision, we weighed the up-front costs versus the total cost of ownership,” explained O’Brien of Gem Ambulance’s decision to go with the FleetEyes / Sierra Wireless solution. “With this solution, we could see the long-term benefit, and we knew we had found the product we were looking for.”

Initially launched as a CAD service to improve dispatchers’ ability to track vehicles, GEM Ambulance has since integrated the FleetEyes / Sierra Wireless solution into all aspects of its operations, making features available to dispatchers, supervisors, operations and drivers and installing AirLink devices in every fleet vehicle.

The Gem Ambulance fleet management solution utilizing FleetEyes powered by Sierra Wireless AirLink PinPoint XT and MP597 rugged in-vehicle devices provides the following benefits:

• Fleet management – GPS tracking and vehicle diagnostics provide ability to acquire vehicle information, such as location, speed and manufacturer fault codes, without interruption.

• Third party integration – AirLink in-vehicle platform API simplifies and deepens integration with third party applications and streamlines data for ultra efficient throughput.

• Reliable connectivity – ALEOS intelligence provides “always-on” and “always-aware” cellular and Wi-Fi communications required for two-way mission critical data applications. 

• Ease-of-use and remote management – ALEOS and AirLink management software enable quick and easy configuration, automated firmware updates and remote maintenance.

• Real-time data access – 3G cellular solution with added Wi-Fi support offers immediacy provided by real-time, two-way data transmission available anytime, and accessed from anywhere in the world.

• Product and partner support – FleetEyes stands behind its product and works together with Sierra Wireless to provide reliable, quality solutions.