Cambridgeshire FRS improve operational efficiency

Its vision is to ensure a safe community, where there are no preventable deaths or injuries in fires or other emergencies, by putting people at the centre of everything it does. To help achieve this, CFRS regularly reviews its operational processes to ensure it is working at maximum efficiency.
As part of this process, CFRS reviewed its Major Incident Control Area (MICA) as part of a wider command and control project. It was decided that a more modern and practical approach to incident command management was required, and ultimately introduce a process that was more conducive to the way in which fire service managers operate with other agencies in an emergency situation.
The MICA has a dual purpose. When not in use for incident control it is used for day to day business functions. The review was therefore mindful of the implications it would have on the overall use of the room, and were keen to ensure it was easy to use and provided an effective and functional method of delivering information across a broad range of subject matter.
CFRS had been using earlier versions of the SMART Board™ interactive whiteboard technology for a number of years and wanted to investigate whether the latest versions would provide them with the additional functionality they required. After visiting Steljes’ executive briefing centre in Bagshot, it was agreed they needed to upgrade to the latest solutions. The MICA was set up with mobile versions of SMART Meeting Pro™ software and SMART Bridgit® conferencing software and equipped with a large 87” SMART Board interactive whiteboard and two 55” SMART Board interactive flat panels.
Station Commander Simon Newton said: “One of the major problems facing any emergency service is the need for an accurate picture of what’s happening at an incident to aid them in the decision making process when incidents occur as time is of the essence.
“We need to react to the changing nature of an incident so we need accurate real-time information from both internal and multi-agency sources to help validate what is happening. Our vision is that our SMART Board capability will enable us to use information from multiple sources to provide valuable insights will help us make better informed decisions and ultimately save lives.”
CFRS decided to put the SMART solution to the test during a planned Local Resilience Training exercise at a shopping centre, approximately 25 miles away from its headquarters. During the exercise, the Silver Command team were able to keep a clear record of decisions that were being made, send and receive messages, data, pictures and video directly from the scene of operations. All this information was used to create an accurate common operating picture.
The information was gathered using the power of the Bridgit software which was loaded onto the iPads of the members of the Silver Command team. This enabled information to be sent directly to Gold Command giving them the real-time data they need to make decisions. All information gathered on the SMART Boards was recorded and saved so that it could be easily used as part of a debrief following the incident if required.
Watch Commander Dan Martin, who was part of the Silver Command Team that took part in the planned exercise, explained: “The SMART Board interactive whiteboards together with SMART Meeting Pro and SMART Bridgit conference software provided a faster build-up of what was happening at the incident, enabling a great understanding of the various elements of the incident. Working from our HQ, Gold command could easily view and annotate over the same information as Silver Command who were positioned at the incident itself. This is the first time we have been able to do this and it resulted in faster decision making, leading to more effective containment of the incident. Even though this was a planned exercise, it proved that using the SMART solution would provide us with the improvements in operational efficiency that we are seeking.”
Following the success of the exercise, CFRS has trained fire service managers on how to use the SMART Board solution so that they too can use the technology during technology with purpose incidents or when planning major events such as the Tour de France, which will be staged in Cambridge later this year. When not in use for incident control, the MICA is used for day-to-day operations.
Watch Commander Martin explained: “The SMART Boards have become an integral part of how we work. They are used in meetings to capture a multitude of notes, decisions or tasks and at the end of the meeting, the annotated notes are sent to all attendees via email. The software can also reduce travel time for meetings as information can be shared live with any tablet or PC, enabling personnel to conduct meetings anywhere that they have internet access. This has made our meetings more productive and efficient.
“Every emergency service can decide on its own incident command management process and here at CFRS, we want to take the lead in this area and create our own templates, which enable us to be more flexible and adapt it to suit our needs, and in turn assist other organisations in any joint operation. We have now extended this technology into the specification list for our new command vehicle, enabling us to achieve a fast and efficient way of recording and sending incident ground information to key personnel. Overall, we have installed this new SMART board technology in all of our key locations across the County. I believe that this SMART solution should be a consideration for any emergency service or public organisation.”