The public sector is becoming ever more technology based and this trend is no different within the emergency services.  Whereas the Fire and Rescue Service would once rely on simple horse drawn carriages and manual pumps, and good policing was seen as having officers stomping the beat, both now have an array of technological applications that would leave Alexander Graham Bell smiling in wonderment.

Whilst the implementation of the shiny new hardware is readily apparent, often forgotten is the processes behind them – the many varied elements that go into creating the whole.

The EADS-led FiReControl project is one such example that will see £350 million invested in bringing England's already admirable Fire and Rescue Service into the 21st Century.

In addition to the many partners involved in the project including Ericsson and Hewlett Packard are IT specialists iMass who have been tasked with the implementation of Mobile Data Terminals (MDT).  FiReControl will see these MDTs installed into every fire appliance, allowing the fire fighters a wealth of information about the incident they are attending or due to attend such as information about travel routes, the location of fire hydrants, chemical handling data and even hose measurement tools.

A significant part of the MDT will be underpinned by data sourced from the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG).  This Local Government Association initiative to create the first national database of addresses since the Doomsday Book sees the amalgamation of all the address data held by local authorities into one ‘super gazetteer’. 

In addition to the mapping of every address in the UK, the framework for the NLPG – British Standard BS7666 – created a standardised method of recording the data that allowed for each building to be given a unique property reference number (UPRN).  With this came the removal of duplication and the opportunity for far easier identification of mismatches or inaccuracies.

This address data, the most accurate and up-to-date ever available will be integrated in the MDTs through the software of gazetteer specialists Aligned Assets who have been sub-contracted by iMass specifically for the task.  One of the keys to the Symphony software as it is called is to utilise the geocoding recorded alongside the address data that means each record contains mapping co-ordinates in addition to the standard address.  With this geocoding the address data can be viewed visually as a map, supplying the firefighters at the scene detailed information on actual buildings and locations in the area of the incident

The software is also due for integration into all of the nine new regional control centres (RCCs), which are to be at the centre of the FiReControl Project.  The technology will allow call operators access to over 30 million addresses, which are kept constantly up-to-date by the local councils, thus allowing precise location identification. 

Via the new Firelink network (the communications equivalent of FiReControl), this data can then be used to mobilise the nearest (by travel time) and most appropriate (in terms of having the attributes necessary to manage the incident) resources, regardless of which Fire and Rescue Service they belong to.  All this information along with the location data is then fed directly into the MDTs.

FiReControl will be taking the process further than just receiving the address data however and also plan on taking advantage of the Symphony’s ability to send data back via its iExchange module.  Information gained during operational activity, once validated by the corresponding local authority, will then become a permanent inclusion within the national dataset.

In addition to this, by using another of Aligned Assets’ products known as the Xtended Data Module (XDM), the Fire Service will have the ability to link supplementary information to each property that is not provided by the NLPG.  As well as having each property’s address information, independently identifiable by its UPRN, the Fire and Rescue Service can link information such as the dates of fire safety checks, hazardous materials stored at the property and flood risk potentials.  Whereas previously this information would be stored in different locations, the software will allow for it all to be available from one source, accessible both at the RCCs and to the fire fighters on the ground through the MDTs.

The FiReControl project has three main drivers, to increase resilience, to enhance capability and to improve efficiency.  Through the use of the most modern hardware, utilising the most up-to-date software, FiReControl will enable the fire fighters of England the information and technology they require to successfully do their jobs and ultimately to save lives.