As part of assisting the German emergency service’s clear stated mission to extinguish fires before they start, network cabling provider from Trans Data Elektronik (TDE) has revealed it has been working with the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service to upgrade the core network on which its operations are based, guaranteeing security and reliability at every level and elevating capability in the server room.
Responding to more than 500,000 calls a year and rising, the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service plays a key role in keeping the German capital running safely day in, day out. It employs more than 6,600 people in fire-fighting and rescue service, administration and trainee programmes to handle the immense workload, operating out of 35 fire stations spread across the city.
In addition to handling fire emergencies, emergency medical services make up the vast majority of its operations at 86%, followed by technical assistance and reconnaissance.
To guarantee smooth operations, the service requires a high-performance and stable IT infrastructure to reliably respond to emergency calls and coordinate operations. However, over time, the department has accumulated a multitude of different systems and add-ons in its server racks – a complex environment that is regarded as no longer meeting current requirements.
Indeed, the server cabinets dated from 1991 and 1992, and due to numerous retrofitted cables and components, could only be opened with great difficulty and by a dedicated team of technicians.
There was no active ventilation; the air conditioning was too noisy and incorrectly sized; and the power distribution system was limited to a simple power strip. Copper, fibre-optic patch and power cables would lie haphazardly side by side on the cable rack, and a lack of cable management systems resulted in a confusing tangle of cables. This made maintenance work, upgrades and repairs considerably more difficult.
Essentially, the condition of the server room did not meet the required security standards in any respect – neither operationally or physically nor in terms of information technology. A comprehensive overhaul was essential.
Operational readiness
As the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service is classified as a public authority or organisation with security responsibilities, the IT infrastructure could not simply be shut down and replaced. The system had to remain operational while the fire department continued its work to ensure its unrestricted operational readiness.
To implement the upgrade project, the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service decided to bring in professional assistance from Dortmund-based TDE, which was responsible for supplying the passive network components. The team also supported the fire and rescue service in selecting the system, planned the configuration of the racks and commissioned the company Wisag to ensure the control room was equipped in accordance with health and safety regulations.
The passive network infrastructure of the server room was completely renewed and consolidated to create a standards-compliant, structured and highly available foundation for IT operations. TDE rolled its TML system – a modular cabling system featuring pull-out 19-inch module carriers, each holding eight modules, micro-distribution internal cables with 12F-MPO, TP trunk cables and MPO/MTP connections.
The system is designed to allow TP and fibre-optic modules to be combined in a single module carrier, thereby ensuring what TDE claims is “exceptionally high” packing density of up to 96 fibre-optic ports or 48 copper ports in just one height unit with the MPO system.
The cabling using TML micro-distribution indoor cables and eight 12-fibre MPO connectors in particular, each serving six ports, is said to offer a significant advantage over conventional services using individual patch cables, breakout cables or in-house cabling. To ensure reliability and avoid disrupting day-to-day operations, the fire service set up the passive network infrastructure in parallel with the existing system and then migrated the services in stages.
The cabling firm accepts that meeting the fire and rescue service’s high standards was a challenge. In addition to certified quality, reliable partners, short response times and personalised advice, the costs also played an important role.
Following four years of planning, refurbishment, fit-out and installation, the server room went live with its new equipment at the end of 2025, and is said to have stabilised the technical infrastructure of the IT system.
The passive infrastructure has now been consolidated and brought up to the latest standards, and TDE assured that it now forms a stable, standards-compliant and reliable foundation for IT operations. In particular, availability and fault tolerance are said to have been noticeably improved.
In all, TDE said the modern rack system, the structured cabling and the clear separation of the different systems can minimise the risk of failure and unplanned interruptions.
Furthermore, it said the new structure increases transparency and enables clear documentation, allowing for analysing faults more quickly and maintenance or expansion work to be carried out without disruption while the system is in operation.
The homogeneous network expansion also reduces the training requirements on staff and allows for more efficiently and streamlined spare parts management. Ultimately, the modernisation has laid the groundwork for future scaling, achieving higher power densities and retrofitting technological advancements in the datacentre environment.
“We have been working with TDE on passive network infrastructure since 2021,” said Marco Weise, ICT operations manager at the Berlin Fire and Rescue Service.
“That’s why it was important to us that the new system was fully compatible with our existing solution. In this project, TDE took on the primary responsibility for planning, supply and order processing of the entire passive infrastructure and fulfilled this task to our complete satisfaction. We are very pleased with the modernisation. We will continue to rely on TDE’s expert advice for future projects.”
