Effective dispatch of the right units during incidents can significantly influence the outcome, yielding cost savings for society and, crucially, making the difference between life and death.
Effective dispatch of the right units during incidents can significantly influence the outcome, yielding cost savings for society and, crucially, making the difference between life and death.
There are several facets to what constitutes the "right units." This can mean having the appropriate expertise for a specific incident or simply being the nearest available unit.
“We have spoken to numerous UK fire and rescue services who face challenges in dispatching the appropriate commanders for specific incidents. The issue often arises because dispatchers are unaware of the current location and status of the commanders, leading to the wrong commander being dispatched. This can result in longer response times, exposing the commander to unnecessary stress and danger as they rush from one location to another,” explains Neil Pilkington, Business Developer UK at Evam.
The challenge for UK fire and rescue services is that they currently depend heavily on outdated technical solutions to dispatch commanders. Dispatch is often carried out using pagers or SMS notifications. While these messages are received, such technologies limit the ability to optimize the dispatch of commanders.
“UK fire and rescue commanders are also frequently equipped with multiple devices and are seeking to consolidate these. One service we spoke to reported that their commanders always carry a TETRA radio, two mobile phones, and a pager. Modern technology can undoubtedly help consolidate this to one or perhaps two devices,” adds Neil Pilkington.
Evam Central Services addresses these issues by providing a solution to ensure the optimal dispatch of the best available unit to a specific incident based on the commander’s location and status. Additionally, the solution helps reduce the amount of hardware each responder needs to carry by integrating the system into pre-existing mobile devices.
The solution is multi-platform, with current users typically operating it on their Android or iOS devices. Being a fully SaaS (Software as a Service) solution, users can get up and running quickly using their existing devices.
Evam Central Services notifies the unit about the incident and provides detailed incident information. It also offers the ability to update their status so colleagues in the control room have an accurate, real-time picture of unit availability.
With a push of a button, the user can initiate turn-by-turn navigation to the incident site. The service also enables the easy association of information with geographic coordinates and/or types of incidents, meaning the user can receive specific information to prepare for the incident at hand. Evam Central Services integrates seamlessly with your control room software.
Visit www.evam.life to book a demo of Evam Central Services today.
When you choose our end-to-end solution, your team receives fully configured devices – all they need to do is log in with their credentials, and they’re ready to go. No complex setup, no IT hassle – just instant access to the tools they need to operate efficiently from day one.
Firefighters are among the most respected professionals in society, known for their selfless dedication to protecting lives and property. Retained (on-call) firefighters, who often serve in rural areas, small towns, and villages, are an essential part of UK fire and rescue services. In the UK alone, over 14,000 people serve as retained firefighters. They tackle emergencies ranging from fires and floods to traffic collisions and hazardous materials incidents, ensuring public safety at all hours.
In the past, most supporting systems for public safety were fully offline or, at best, tied to TETRA or P25 networks for limited data transmission. However, with the increasing demand for real-time data and digitalization, public safety systems have grown increasingly reliant on connectivity.