Britain’s firefighters on the front line are facing a rapidly changing landscape in the types of events they are attending, from increasing numbers of wildfires, devastating summer floods to rising attacks, and these challenging environments have only escalated the need for transformation.
Practicality of communications equipment when in use without impairment of voice and functionality is vital to fire and rescue services. Motorola Solutions 2022 survey identified over a quarter of the respondents are still using analogue technology. When technology is outdated, it hinders the ability to operate efficiently and safely. Aeneas Postlethwaite, equipment officer at Suffolk Fire & Rescue, commented on their decision to migrate: ‘Our current analogue systems had reached end of life and there were challenges finding replacement parts, coupled with interoperability issues with regional services who had already migrated to digital.’
Finding new ways to overcome connectivity issues is also a top area of concern1 for fire and rescue services. Any failure or disruption to a communications network relied upon by first responders can cause poor situational awareness, instability in their situation and operational restrictions, especially when major events occur which may require multi-sector or cross-border deployments; interoperability is crucial.
Advancing critical communications
Radio networks have long been the primary source of safety and efficiency for first responders, relying heavily on voice communication; the clarity of verbal commands is crucial. This is why there continues to be investments in radio communications technology by manufacturers such as Motorola Solutions, TAIT and Entel, and research and development to enhance user experiences as well as the radio network and software application capabilities.
‘Clear, concise communication is essential in the effective delivery of a modern fire and rescue service,’ Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service stated when upgrading their devices. ‘It is critical that we have a reliable and robust communications system that provides uninterrupted service for every situation that our Firefighters encounter. Whether it be responding to an emergency incident, or when out and about in the community, it is crucial that we have a radio system that allows Officers, Firefighters and Control Room Operators to communicate efficiently and effectively.’
Several areas were also identified in the results Motorola Solutions collated with respondents suggesting that additional communication capabilities would improve incident management. The future of fireground technology is responding to the needs of UK fire and rescue services as they accelerate their digital transformation agenda, for example, dual band devices that support an LTE and DMR connection such as Motorola Solutions Evolve, Ion and TAIT’s AXIOM, creating an interoperability pathway between the incident and control rooms. Meanwhile, a greater use of body-worn video, drones, transportable rapid deployment repeaters to extend geographical reach and more sophisticated applications for tracking are also transforming the fireground. Technologies such as these will open the door to further support NFCC’s operational practices, disaster scenarios and inherent risks associated with fire operation to support the services preparedness.
In summary
Simon Bingham, Radiocoms dedicated UK Fire and Rescue Service Account Manager, summarised: ‘The role of Radiocoms is to help deploy the right technology to support and create a connection between teams on the fireground, ICU and service headquarters, while simultaneously supporting mobilisation of partnerships.
‘Helping to overcome these technology barriers Radiocoms mission-critical point-to-point system connects and tracks every user, expands coverage areas, and leads to increased situational awareness.’
Radiocoms will be demonstrating their solution at this year’s Emergency Services Show in booth H35. To keep up to date with the latest news and announcements from ESS 2022 follow them on Twitter @RadiocomsInfo and Linkedin @radiocoms-systems-ltd.
For more information, go to www.radiocoms.co.uk
Notes
1. https://www.motorolasolutions.com/en_xu/engage/webapp/2022-emea-fire-survey.html
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