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Survey reveals investment in technology remains a priority for fire professionals
PageOne Communications has revealed the results of a recently commissioned survey of 500 operations managers at fire stations throughout the UK. The survey looked into current trends in technology adoption; changes in fire service expenditure; and managers’ views on future social and environmental threats.
With the demands on the emergency services having never been higher, and public perceptions of fire call out times at an all time low, the results provide an interesting insight into the industry’s views on the role of technology within a co-ordinated and successful call-out and response process.
The Chief Fire Officers Association has already stated that government funding for fire and rescue services is under threat. So it is no great surprise that all fire professionals surveyed envisage the current drive to make efficiency savings and spending cuts will continue. Almost two thirds of operations managers believe reductions in manpower will play a part in their future budget cuts, with a further fifth anticipating actual station closures.
All fire professionals surveyed have adopted new communications technologies over the last two to three years, with over 70% of respondents stating increased efficiency and faster response times are the key benefits of implementing new technology. The most frequently mentioned communication technologies were SMS, paging, mobile email and roaming mobile SIMs. A fifth of operations managers surveyed had purchased mobile radio within the last three years, with a similar number confirming they have adopted various streams of social media such as Facebook and Twitter to enhance engagement with the local community and keep them informed on local emergencies.
Undoubtedly, ICT plays a key role in enabling fire professionals to streamline processes and do ‘more with less’. Consequently it is encouraging to see that the majority of operations managers identify future investment in technology for the fire services as a continued priority with just 16% believing that their technology expenditure will be cut.
Effective and reliable communications technology has a vital role to play in co-ordinating a successful emergency response and call-out process; over three quarters of surveyed fire professionals have seen an increased need to co-ordinate communications between the emergency services. Integrated communication procedures which combine paging and SMS are a tried and tested way to improve response times across both daily operations and large-scale incidents. In an emergency situation, GSM communication is often compromised just when it is needed most, because everyone instinctively reaches for their mobile phone and the networks struggle to cope. In an emergency every message is critical, and having both SMS and paging technology in place offers extra resilience for fire service communications.
Overall, the survey confirms that stringent cutbacks will need to be made and that fire professionals are fully aware they will be tasked with doing more with fewer resources. However, with the right technology in place, it is possible to streamline processes and improve response times without impacting on frontline services.
A free report summarising the results of PageOne’s research can be downloaded here.
