Firelink
From SR
Contents |
Purpose
Firelink is the new single digital wide area communications system for the Fire and Rescue Service in Great Britain.
The Firelink communication solution is part of an extensive investment by government to enhance FRS capability to deal with all types of incident, including major emergencies such as the extensive flooding seen in 2007.
When the delivery of Firelink is completed, firefighters and operational staff will experience the advantages of:
- clearer radio voice quality
- enhanced network coverage
- greater system resilience and security
- the capability of wider radio interoperability with other fire and rescue services, police and ambulance service.
The Firelink project is an important investment in fire and rescue service wide area radio communications. It will play an important part in making sure the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) can respond to all types of incidents. The Firelink solution will improve resilience and interoperability within the service, using the latest technology available. Communication links with other emergency services will also be improved.
The majority of wide area radio systems currently operated by the FRS are ageing and becoming obsolete, with no development potential. The need to replace these disparate systems with a new resilient communications system was accelerated by the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. As a result, Government is implementing a range of measures to build resilience including investment in the Fire and Resilience Programme, which will provide the FRS with the capability it needs to meet the challenges of the future.
The Firelink project will deliver:
- England, Scotland and Wales
- A radio network and regional switching sites, similar to telephone exchanges
- installation of radio, Mobile Data Terminal (MDT), global positioning receiver and associated hardware in fire and rescue service appliances, including New Dimension vehicles and officer cars.
- Scotland and Wales
- Integration of Firelink equipment with legacy control room mobilising systems and Incident Command and Control Systems (ICCS).
Requirements
The Firelink solution is based on a statement of technical and operational requirements, developed in conjunction with FRS users under the following headings:
- Network Coverage
- System Availability
- Interoperability
- Voice Communications
- Data Communications
- Automatic Vehicle Location
- Resilience and Security
The solution, based on the Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) technology is being provided by the supplier, Airwave Solutions Limited.
Benefits
The strategic business case benefits of implementing Firelink are:
- Resilience: Resilience to system failure to ensure continuing service to users.
- Interoperability: Radio interoperability between fire and rescue services, and command level radio communications between the three emergency services.
- Modernisation: enables national roaming, so a fire vehicle can remain in contact with a control room wherever it is located across the country.
- Improved performance: provides clearer voice quality than existing analogue systems, allowing more efficient call handling.
- Efficiency: Increasing the efficiency of FRS communication services while maintaining or improving service quality.
- Deployment: providing the platform (in England) for mobilisation of fire vehicles through Regional Control Centres.
- Command and Control: providing flexibility in the handling of command and control functions at a regional level through FiReControl.
== Reporting Hierarchy ]] The Firelink project is sponsored by the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government.
Implementation
Firelink will be rolled out to the 46 fire and rescue services in England, eight in Scotland and three in Wales. A number of regional project boards have been set up to facilitate the rollout of Firelink.
Stakeholders
A stakeholder group, comprising members of representative bodies and the Firelink Project Board, has been established. The aim is to both inform stakeholders and ascertain their views. The representative bodies that provide a key contribution to the successful delivery of the project include:
- Chief Fire Officers Association
- Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
- Fire Officers Association
- Fire Brigades Union
- Local Government Association
- Retained Firefighters Union
- Welsh Local Government Association
