West Midlands Fire Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service are to use data-receiver technology from Radio frequency (RF) technology provider, Enterprise Control Systems (ECS).
It’s for a faster, more collaborative response to critical incidents such as large-scale and industrial fires, flooding, road traffic collisions, monitoring crowds at large events, and aiding the search for missing people.
ECS’s portable monitoring terminal, Handyview, allows short term and instantaneous monitoring and contains decryption. This means NPAS (National Police Air Service) can authorise who can access its video and audio transmissions of an incident, and when.
Marc Haysey, Managing Director at Enterprise Control Systems: “This announcement represents an important next step in how the West Midlands emergency services – and the industry as a whole – are continually seeking to improve their multi-agency communications and collaborative response to incidents. At ECS we’re proud to design and manufacture equipment that’s already being deployed by air and ground teams, facilitating access to crucial data that empowers them to continue performing the essential task of protecting our communities and saving lives.”
Colin Waite, UK Police Business Development Manager at Enterprise Control Systems: “The ability to receive live high-quality video and data has always been key for the security and emergency organisations we work with. Now with more collaborative and joint operations, not only is it essential to have interoperable voice communications, but the ability to share situational awareness information which will be key in being able to resolve incidents efficiently and safely.”
Group Commander Richard Moore, of West Midlands Fire Service, said: “We’re really excited to be linking up with our ambulance and police colleagues for this downlink project. It’s the latest innovation in our drive to keep our communities safe with a digital and data-driven approach. We’ve been trialling our own drones for a year, so appreciate how an aerial dimension can complement our work on the ground. The NPAS partnership will help our decision-making as we bring incidents to a safe resolution.”
And PC Neil Cuffe, tactical flight training officer and mission systems expert at National Police Air Service: “All our aircraft have the capability to transmit high-quality footage to officers on the ground and incident control rooms via the downlink system. This is invaluable in assisting commanders to make critical decisions on how to appropriately direct resources and manage the scene of an incident. It is widely used by police forces and will be hugely beneficial for fire and ambulance colleagues as we work together to protect the public.”
