North Wales mobilising new communications system

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWF&RS) is looking to establish a new command and control mobilising system that can provide integration into the North Wales Police integrated communications control system (ICCS).

A new resilient call handling and mobilising system will be networked between the current joint communications centre, a shared location with North Wales Police at St Asaph, and the police headquarters business continuity site in Colwyn Bay. NWF&RS intends the new system to incorporate failover capabilities to enable fall-back across the sites.

It will provide a full voice and data communications capability using the Airwave network, EISEC (enhanced information service for emergency calls) and ALSEC (automatic location service for emergency calls), which will reduce emergency call handling times, as well as ALS (automatic location system), which will ensure the nearest appropriate resource is mobilised to an incident.

Integration with possible updates to voice recorder and call logging solutions (links in incident for voice record playback) at North Wales Police ICCS is also being considered.

The joint communications centre is integral to sustained and effective resource preplanning, incident management, performance data and management between the two services and is not simply a call handling facility, assisting with defect management issues, press and the media, staff management and coordination and any related follow-up.

A tender issued by North Wales Police on behalf of NWF&RS said the replacement system needs to address the business needs of NWF&RS and “ensure that a suitable platform is created for future development and advancement of closer working and convergence with the emergency services and authorities”. It adds that “high level requirements” include:

•A compatible software solution for use with mobile data terminals that can be integrated into one or more existing mobile data terminal software solutions to achieve the full benefits of data mobilisation and mobile data integration via the most cost-effective and efficient mobile data solution;

•Integrating supplied systems to provide full and enhanced functionality;

•Providing suitable and effective backup systems for all major subsystems within the North Wales joint communications centre; and

•Providing suitable and effective planning and reporting systems for current and future needs.