Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service has won the 2018 Gordon McLanaghan Award. It’s presented annually in memory of the late Bristol City Council CCTV and Emergency Control Room Manager, recognising those who have gone above and beyond, to achieve a technical security solution.
The Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service Critical Control Centre (CCC) in Tolvaddon near Camborne is staffed 24 hours, seven days a week, by staff trained in handling 999 calls for the Fire Service. All members of staff are Security Industry Authority (SIA) qualified CCTV operators, and manage out of hours calls on behalf of Cornwall Council. Since January 2016, the CCC has been actively monitoring 114 CCTV cameras across 11 towns.
The camera footage enables control centre staff to provide on-going narrative during incidents via direct radio link. Staff have Airwave radio contact with police officers, which has proven to be an asset to support the use of CCTV monitoring. Police can request CCTV monitoring of incidents, and control centre staff are also able to alert police officers of developing situations, often before they have been reported through traditional routes.
The award was presented at a charity dinner on November 13, on the eve of the Global MSC Security annual conference and exhibition, at the Bristol Hotel in Bristol. Receiving the award on behalf of Cornwall Fire and Rescue was Area Manager – Resilience, Mobilising & Service Training, Kevin Thomas. He says: “I am proud to accept this award on behalf of the Cornwall Fire & Rescue Service, as I honestly believe that our Critical Control Centre staff have embraced a wealth of change over the last four years. Workloads have grown enormously but the benefits provided to our local communities are significant.”
Managing Director of Global MSC, Derek Maltby adds: “Cornwall Fire & Rescue is a truly deserving winner of the 2018 Gordon McLanaghan Award. This initiative needs to be shouted from the rooftops, so that more people in the security and CCTV business understand what collaboration can achieve.”
Picture courtesy of Global MSC Security: Kevin Thomas of Cornwall Fire & Rescue, centre, being presented with the award by the Lord Mayor of Bristol, Cleo Lake.
