The in-cab intelligence provides an accurate satellite tracking facility directly into the fire engine cab. The system shows both the fire engine and the incident it is travelling to on a detailed map, which zooms in automatically as the fire engine approaches.
The technology also provides a search facility for any address in the county, which is vital for fire crews operating outside their normal area.
As well as the satellite tracking facility, the in-cab computer has a number of other tricks up its sleeve:
- Detailed plans for buildings and lists of any potential hazards a building may contain e.g. electrical hazards, toxic substances, etc
- Details of any safety equipment needed at a particular site
- CAD drawings of buildings which can be printed off in the fire engine and even handed to crews entering a building to help them find their way around
- Detailed information about any type of vehicle, which can be used in road traffic accidents. For example, fire crews will know where the battery is located and how to disconnect it on a particular model. The system also highlights areas of the car to avoid when using cutting equipment, such as the gas cylinders that operate the air bags
- Information about buildings carrying historic or valuable artefacts, where they are exactly and even in what order they should be rescued
- Information about how many times crews have attended incidents in a particular area and whether there have been any previous attacks on crews
Trevor Tarlton-Weatherall, Station Officer at Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “The in-cab intelligence represents an excellent investment in both crew and public safety. It will not only make our fire crews quicker and more efficient by pin-pointing exactly where they need to go, but it will also give them every piece of detail the Fire Service has about a particular building or type of car at the touch of a button.”
“We are at the forefront of this new technology and have even been approached by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to showcase our progress with the system to other fire services around the country.”
The new technology has been designed to be user-friendly and works via a simple to use touch-screen computer in the cab.
The Vehicle Mounted Data System will also link fire crews together, allowing them to track each other’s positions