Patent ID: 8116327

Claim:
A method for expanding first responder safety network coverage within a building, the method comprising: monitoring, by an information processing system in the building, of at least one of sensor data transmitted over a building safety network and building mechanical system status data transmitted over a building automation network; detecting, by the information processing system, an emergency signal indicating an existence of an emergency in the building and responsive to the detecting, the information processing system: automatically bridging, by the information processing system, communication between at least one of (i) the building safety network and (ii) the building automation network and a first responder network, including beginning providing received sensor data and/or mechanical system status data to the first responder network for reception by mobile devices carried by first responder personnel responding to the emergency in the building; and managing bandwidth allocation between (i) the at least one of the building safety network and the building automation network and (ii) the first responder network in order to prioritize network traffic associated with the first responder network over network traffic not associated with the first responder network.