Covering the entire spectrum of the Emergency Services
February 2015
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
Volume 16 | 1
ESTCONTENTS | 1
IN EVERY ISSUE
5
COMMENT
3
NEWS
4
EVENTS
8
PEOPLE
9
COMPANY PROFILE
20
PRODUCTS
54
LAST WORDS
56
IN THIS ISSUE
3
VEHICLES
11
South West Ambulance Service takes delivery of a new mobile treatment centre, Babcock makes conversion company acquisition, BMW STRIVe unit evaluated by metropolitan fire and rescue service, NHS Blood and Transplant service invests in new Ford Transit Customs and the first of 12 multi-purpose support vehicles goes into service with the RNLI
42 9
NAPFM SUPPLEMENT
23
Crown Commercial Service, working closely with the Home Office and the National Association of Police Fleet Managers (NAPFM), has let the new vehicle purchase framework. Find out about the history of police vehicle purchasing and details of the wider public sector remit of the new framework in this exclusive supplement
PROTECTIVE CLOTHING
37
Product design and development in focus from Bristol Uniforms, the latest on the police National Uniformed Managed Service (NUMS), YDS celebrates Welsh fire and service boot contract plus the latest
23
fabric technology, gloves and headwear
TRAINING
47
The Fire Service College’s new Mobile Carbonaceous Training Unit has been on the road, training over 100 operational staff at Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service
COLLABORATION
49
A round up of the latest multi-agency projects from the Emergency Services Collaboration Working Group, plus CFOA highlights how training is the key to an improved Counter Terrorism capability from
16
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the UK’s emergency services
February 2015
2 | ESTA-Z
Companies Company Name
Page No
Company Name
Page No
Company Name
Page No
Company Name
Page No
Airbox Aerospace Limited.............................................................................4
Emergency Services Collaboration Working Group................................49
Maritime Volunteer Service ........................................................................53
South Wales Police......................................................................................49
Airwave Solutions.......................................................................................4, 5
Environment Agency.....................................................................................4
Mercedes-Benz...............................................................................13, 19, 30
South Western Ambulance Service...........................................................11
Ambition 2015................................................................................................8
The Fire Service College.........................................................................5, 47
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service..............................................6, 44, 53
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.................................................................4
Armadillo Merino .........................................................................................41
FLIR Systems...............................................................................................54
Merseyside Police..........................................................................................6
SP Services............................................................................................41, 54
Association of Chief Police Officers...........................................................26
Ford ..................................................................................................16, 27, 30
Merseyside Resilience Forum....................................................................53
St John Ambulance .....................................................................................53
Avon and Somerset Constabulary .............................................................11
Forensic Europe Expo 2015.........................................................................8
Metropolitan Police Service .............................................................4, 26, 42
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service......................................................49
Babcock International Group .....................................................................13
General Motors............................................................................................27
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.............................44, 47, 49
Staffordshire Police .....................................................................................49
Ballyclare Limited ........................................................................................42
Gloucestershire Constabulary......................................................................5
Midlands Air Ambulance ...............................................................................4
Sundsvall Ambulance Service ......................................................................6
Bennett Safetywear Ltd ..............................................................................44
Gwent Police................................................................................................29
Ministry of Defence .....................................................................................42
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service.................................................................49
BMW.................................................................................................14, 27, 30
Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service ...........................................................9
Mullion Manufacturing ................................................................................44
Surrey Police..........................................................................................32, 49
Bristol City Council ..................................................................................9, 11
Harland Simon UPS ....................................................................................56
National Association of Police Fleet Managers..................................25-32
Sussex Police.........................................................................................32, 49
Bristol Uniforms Ltd.................................................................................9, 37
Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service.....................................4
National Audit Office ...................................................................................28
Tactical HazMat Ltd......................................................................................16
Bristow Helicopters .......................................................................................3
Highways Agency.......................................................................................4, 9
National Exhibition Centre ............................................................................6
Tracerco........................................................................................................54
British Red Cross .........................................................................................53
Highways England .........................................................................................9
National Licensed Trade Association ........................................................11
Tracerlite.......................................................................................................41
Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service...................................................4
Home Office.........................................................................................4, 5, 25
NHS Blood and Transplant Service ...........................................................16
Trojan Garage Equipment Services .............................................................6
Cardiff City Council ........................................................................................6
Honda (UK)..................................................................................................30
NHS England..................................................................................................9
University of Central Lancashire...................................................................4
Castlerock Recruitment Group.....................................................................6
Honda Motorcycles .....................................................................................30
North Wales Fire and Rescue Service.......................................................44
University of Derby.........................................................................................5
Chief Fire Officers’ Association..................................................................50
Humberside Fire and Rescue Service.......................................................52
North West Ambulance Service.........................................................6, 9, 53
Vauxhall ..................................................................................................27, 30
Churches Together......................................................................................53
Humberside Police......................................................................................52
Packexe® SMASH..........................................................................................6
Vidal Protection............................................................................................44
City of London Police.....................................................................................5
Hyundai Motor UK ................................................................................19, 30
Peugeot ........................................................................................................30
Vimpex Limited ............................................................................................43
Cobham ........................................................................................................54
JESIP...............................................................................................................6
Primetech.....................................................................................................35
Vislink ..............................................................................................................4
Counter Terror Expo 2015............................................................................8
Kawasaki.......................................................................................................30
RAYNET........................................................................................................53
Volkswagen Group UK Ltd ...................................................................19, 30
Crown Commercial Service .................................................................19, 25
Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust .........................................41
Rescue 3 Europe............................................................................................8
Volvo .......................................................................................................27, 30
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service .............................................................35
Kermel ..........................................................................................................43
Rossetts Commercials ................................................................................13
West Mercia Police.........................................................................................4
Department for Communities and Local Government............................50
Lancashire Constabulary ............................................................................25
Rotary International .....................................................................................53
West Midlands Ambulance Service..............................................................6
Devon and Cornwall Police...........................................................................5
Land Rover ...................................................................................................35
Royal Air Force ...............................................................................................3
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service...................................................50
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service..........................................5
Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue.....................................................................49
Royal National Lifeboat Institution .............................................................19
Wiltshire Police.........................................................................................9, 26
DOK-ING ......................................................................................................16
London Ambulance Service .........................................................................9
Royal Navy ......................................................................................................3
WL Gore & Associates ................................................................................38
Dr. Martens...................................................................................................41
London Fire Brigade ...................................................................................49
Royal Voluntary Service ..............................................................................53
WMSAR...........................................................................................................4
Dräger .............................................................................................................5
London's Air Ambulance...............................................................................4
Salvation Army .............................................................................................53
Xtralis...............................................................................................................5
DWT Trailers.................................................................................................11
Lutra Associates Limited.............................................................................16
Sikorsky...........................................................................................................3
Yamaha .........................................................................................................30
Dyfed-Powys Police.......................................................................................6
Lyon Equipment Limited.............................................................................43
Siöen.............................................................................................................44
YDS Boots....................................................................................................44
East Anglia Air Ambulance............................................................................4
MacNeillie.....................................................................................................13
SIP Protection..............................................................................................44
Yorkshire Air Ambulance...............................................................................4
East Midlands Ambulance Service ............................................................49
Marantz Professional...................................................................................54
South East Coast Ambulance Service ................................................13, 49
Yorkshire Ambulance Service ....................................................................52
East of England Ambulance Service............................................................5
Maritime and Coastguard Agency................................................................3
South Wales Fire and Rescue Service ................................................44, 49
Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation ...........................................................44
Company Name
Company Name
Company Name
Advertisers Company Name
Page No
Page No
Page No
Page No
Airwave Solutions ..........................................................................................7
DWT Trailers.................................................................................................10
Kermel ..........................................................................................................36
South Wales Police Driver Training............................................................10
Ambition 2015 .............................................................................................18
Eberspächer ................................................................................................10
Lintran Total Transport Systems.................................................................10
SP Services (UK) Ltd ..............................................................................OBC
Armadillo Merino .........................................................................................10
The Emergency Services Show 2015.......................................................48
Lyon Equipment Limited............................................................................IFC
Babcock International .................................................................................22
Excelerate Technology Limited...............................................................OFC
Minerva Simulator Facilities........................................................................46
Ballyclare Limited ........................................................................................39
Goliath Footwear (YDS Boots) ..................................................................39
NAPFM.........................................................................................................45
BAPCO 2015..............................................................................................IBC
Haix ...............................................................................................................35
Premier Hazard............................................................................................15
Bennett Safetywear.....................................................................................40
Health & Safety Events................................................................................51
Primetech UK Ltd ........................................................................................12
BMW .............................................................................................................24
Honda (UK)..................................................................................................33
Rescue 3 Europe .........................................................................................40
VW Group.....................................................................................................33
British Red Cross .........................................................................................46
Kawasaki Motors UK...................................................................................33
Siöen.............................................................................................................40
WH Bence (Coachworks) Ltd ....................................................................17
Strongs Plastic Products Ltd ......................................................................15 Vauxhall Special Vehicles............................................................................34 Vimpex Limited ............................................................................................45
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
Volvo Cars.....................................................................................................33
February 2015
ESTCOMMENT | 3
ISSN 1472-1090 Date: February 2015
Editor: David J. Holden MEng(Hons) Twitter: @999editor davidholden@brodenmedia.com Advertisement Manager: David Brown davidbrown@brodenmedia.com Advertisement Sales: Carol Fox carolfox@brodenmedia.com Office & Events Manager: Lesley Stevenson lesleystevenson@brodenmedia.com Marketing Manager: Emma Nicholls emmanicholls@brodenmedia.com Circulation: Christine Knoll admin@hpcpublishing.com
Joint Managing Directors: David Brown David Holden Published by
Robert Denholm House, Bletchingley Road Nutfield, Surrey RH1 4HW Tel: 01737 824010 Fax: 01737 824011 e-mail: davidbrown@brodenmedia.com www: brodenmedia.com Distribution: EMERGENCY SERVICES TIMES is free of charge to officers and managers who are buyers or specifiers actively involved in the procurement of equipment or services within the emergency response industry and based in the UK and Irish Republic. All other categories of reader are invited to subscribe at £130.00 to UK addresses and £165.00 overseas. Single copy price £25.00 including post and packing. The articles within Emergency Services Times are copyright and are the property of the publisher Broden Media Limited and cannot be reproduced in any media form without permission of the publisher. Application should be made in writing. Reprints of articles and advertisements are available, allow 28 days for delivery. PDF pages are available by email at £20.00 (+VAT) per page (€32.50, $33). Prices on application to the publisher. Printed by Manor Creative Tel: 01323 514400 Studio work by Friskywhiska Design Tel: 01947 811333 Mobile: 07976 917411 charlotte@friskywhiska.co.uk
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Bristow prepares for start of UK search and rescue contract As the April 2015 start date for the UK SAR contract on behalf of the UK’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) nears, Bristow Helicopters is in the process of expanding its SAR operations across the country. Bristow is on track to begin SAR operations at the first two UK SAR bases, Humberside and Inverness, on 1 April 2015. The construction of these two bases is now complete and pre-operational activity commenced at both bases on 5 January 2015. At the end of November 2014, Bristow took delivery of three S-92 aircraft and the first AW189 for the contract. Staff recruitment is almost complete for all bases, while training and base preparations are well underway and running to schedule. By summer of 2017, Bristow will deliver SAR services from 10 strategically located bases around the 10,500 miles of UK coast, using a fleet of S-92 and AW189 helicopters. The Sumburgh and Stornoway bases will transition into the UK-wide service network in 2017, and continue under that contract until 2026. As the new bases open, the military helicopters, which currently carry out search and rescue, will finish their obligations. Bristow’s plans have always taken into account the need to preserve operations at existing SAR bases, and Bristow has worked closely with the Ministry of Defence to mutually agree on release dates for military personnel who will join the UK SAR service. A highlight of the UK SAR preparations was receiving the first S-92A SAR helicopter during a September ceremony at Sikorsky’s facility in Coatesville, Pennsylvania. “We were very excited to receive the first aircraft from Sikorsky for our UK search and rescue fleet,” says Bristow President and Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Baliff. “With nearly 70 S-92 helicopters already in our inventory, we have come to know and appreciate the aircraft’s safety and reliability.” Throughout its history, Bristow has led the industry in introducing new aircraft types and technology for the civilian market. The SAR equipment it developed has also become the industry standard, resulting in recognition with the Queen’s Award for Innovation for these technical advancements.
The Sikorsky S-92A SAR helicopter.
Engaging stakeholders
“We recognise that SAR helicopters are just one piece of a successful tasking,” says Bristow’s UK Search and Rescue Director Samantha Willenbacher. “We are committed to working closely with both national and local agencies, such as mountain rescue teams, Coastguard, police, fire service and voluntary community groups, in the delivery of SAR services.” When Bristow was awarded the UK SAR contract in March 2013, it represented a huge endorsement of the company’s reputation for excellence in SAR. “While Bristow began operations at Sumburgh on 1 June 2013, and at Stornoway on 1 July 2013, the company previously had provided 40 years of SAR services in the UK, including 24 years of operations under the MCA at Sumburgh and Stornoway from 1983 to 2007,” Willenbacher notes. “Everyone at Bristow understands the huge responsibility that comes with this contract.
“We are committed to working closely with both national and local agencies, such as mountain rescue teams, Coastguard, police, fire service and voluntary community groups, in the delivery of SAR services.” “We are committed to delivering a service that meets the required high expectations and to build on the heroic work conducted by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy over the past 70 years. We will work in full partnership with the MCA to ensure a smooth transition process and the long-term continued delivery of a world-class SAR operation in the UK.” www.bristowgroup.com/helicopter-services/uk-sar
February 2015
4 | ESTNEWS Developed by the National Centre for Applied Learning Technologies and known as Hydra/Minerva, a training suite that mirrors the specification and complexity of the most advanced systems used by emergency services across the UK and abroad has been installed by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). The university has invested £360,000 in the facility, which incorporates a control centre, a major incident conference room together with additional rooms for student teams to develop and direct incident strategy, tactics and operations.
Home Office boost for airborne Highways surveillance specialist Agency signs £8.1m comms contract The Highways Agency has signed a 36month extension on its existing Airwave contract. This ensures that it is able to continue secure communications with its colleagues using Airwave’s Emergency Services Network (ESN) and to interoperate with all the emergency services in Great Britain.
www.uclan.ac.uk
Crews from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue invited officers from the Environment Agency to train alongside them, allowing both organisations to further understand the complex situations involving pollutants to provide a faster and more efficient response. Firefighters and environment officers gave demonstrations of the latest technology deployed to incidents requiring pollution containment, including bunding solutions, water storage and flood barrier set-ups. Over 30 Environment Agency staff attended the exercise, undertaken using the facilities at Tankersley fire station. www.syfire.gov.uk
WMSAR, a specialist resource for West Mercia Police and Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service, is a voluntary organisation with expertise in missing-person search and water rescue. The team is using Crowdfunder – an online funding site – to help in the purchase of winter kit for their volunteers. WMSAR hopes the funding will ease the burden on its operational members having to devote as much unpaid time towards fundraising – the average operational member of the team gives over 80 hours towards fundraising per year, on top of their commitment to training and callouts. www.wmsar.org.uk
Vislink’s real-time airborne downlink (ADL) equipment is being deployed by law enforcement agencies throughout the UK as part of a Home Office project to boost surveillance capabilities and enable accurate and timely decisionmaking at incidents. The company has been selected to fit 15 aircraft with its new integrated video downlink systems, which are capable of transmitting live images from airborne assets to multiple receive sites. During joint operations, regional forces and national agencies will be able to access ADL images transmitted from aircraft using portable and handheld equipment, and also at regional command and control centres throughout the UK. Vislink’s airborne downlink equipment has been a key part of the Metropolitan Police Service since 2006 and is already in operational use across the UK. With
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www.airwavesolutions.co.uk
www.vislink.com
PANDA app improves situational awareness for HEMS pilots Airbox Aerospace Limited, a specialist navigation provider, has provided London’s Air Ambulance with its PANDA app. PANDA (Planning, Awareness, Navigation, Documents App)
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal officially opened Cambridgshire Fire and Rescue Service’s new Parkside Place Community Fire and Rescue Station development on 21 January. The new building also includes Parkside Place – a residential development, which provides 100 new homes including 39 affordable flats managed by Hundred Houses Society. Princess Anne also visited residents who have benefited from the affordable housing, and unveiled a plaque outside HHS’ Chester House during her visit. www.cambsfire.gov.uk
high quality output and H.264 encoding this new equipment greatly improves transfer speeds compared to traditional analogue systems and will increase situational awareness at all levels. Inspector Richard Brandon, Executive Officer, Metropolitan Police Air Support Unit, said, “Improvements have been noticeable in terms of picture quality and stability, transmission range and security encryption. The new ADL system also lets us operate throughout the UK, and we have already demonstrated the benefits of this interoperability during a recent multi-agency operation.” Vislink’s ADL equipment has been deployed in fixed locations across several regions in the UK. All remaining equipment will now be delivered, with the project expected to complete in March 2015.
The Highways Agency has used Airwave’s ESN since 2005 to manage traffic and tackle congestion. In order to communicate with control rooms and other agencies and partners, especially during a crisis, the agency needs resilient systems in place. Every Highways Agency patrol vehicle is equipped with an Airwave radio programmed with the shared channels (talk groups) to monitor incidents as they happen. This means that when officers arrive at an incident they are already fully briefed. The £8.1m contract was officially signed in November and came into immediate effect.
Photography by Matthew Bell
is a portable tablet-based system designed to improve a pilot’s knowledge of their environment whether at the planning, operational or debrief phase of a mission.
Among the innovations included within the PANDA package are power line and obstacle avoidance, aircraft tracking, remote mission tasking and the ability to store and display multiple air and ground maps. Customisations that have been made for London’s Air Ambulance include the ability to search for a location using the A to Z page number and a system to make interactions with Heathrow airport more efficient. Airbox products are already used extensively by the police, emergency services and the military for both air and ground roles; with London’s Air Ambulance joining an ever increasing list of HEMS operators that includes Yorkshire Air Ambulance, ANWB in the Netherlands, East Anglia Air Ambulance and the Midlands Air Ambulance. www.airboxmissionsystems.net
February 2015
ESTNEWS | 5
University opens new forensic training facility The University of Derby’s new Forensic Training Facility (FTF) was officially opened on 9 January 2015. The FTF is a £410,000 custom-built facility within, what looks to be from the outside, a normal four-bedroom house. Hidden behind its walls are up to seven replica crime scenes (including a bedroom, bathroom, office, shop, garage, living room) and a blood pattern analysis room – believed to be the only one in a UK university. The house is fitted with CCTV, audio-visual equipment and other technology allowing tutors to monitor students from a distance, so they can work crime scenes independently in a real-life setting. The building was designed to a very precise specification, providing top-notch facilities not just for students on Forensic Science courses but also external clients, such as the emergency
www.xtralis.com/CC
services, who will use the building for staff training. University of Derby Online Learning, which allows students from all over the world to balance work and family life and gain qualifications without leaving home, has also used the facility to film a 360° virtual crime scene. Students on
its Forensics and Crime Scene Investigation course can navigate the scene remotely, collecting and analysing evidence then write and prepare a statement of evidence for a court of law. www.derby.ac.uk/science/ forensic-science
Improved mobile coverage means changes to new Emergency Services Network contract Significant improvements in areas with poor mobile signal mean plans for a national ‘extension to mobile services’ contract are redundant in their current form, the Home Office has said. Originally, areas of the country with poor or non-existent mobile coverage, which weren’t expected to be covered by the main Emergency Services Network (ESN) contract (Lot 3), were expected to be guaranteed signal by an extra ‘extension to mobile services’ contract (Lot 4). However, evaluation of tenders has revealed the main contract Lot 3 bids offer unexpected
and significant improvements in poor signal areas, negating the need for a Lot 4 contract of the currently specified size and shape. Minister for Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims, Mike Penning, said, “Although the tender bids are still being evaluated, it is clear that competition for contracts for the new ESN has resulted in offers by the mobile industry which are significantly beyond our initial expectations. “The quality of the bids means the areas of the UK that would have remained covered by the Lot 4 ‘extension
to mobile services’ contract are now significantly smaller than we envisaged, therefore we do not need to proceed with the contract in its current form.” As reported in previous issues, the new services will replace the existing system from 2017 as the current contracts expire. Specifications for the new network have been developed in close partnership with the emergency services and will add broadband data capabilities that are increasingly used to help save lives. www.gov.uk
College launches new BA training school
The Fire Service College has opened a new breathing apparatus (BA) training school at its incident training ground in Moreton-in-Marsh. The facility will provide training on the full range of compressed air breathing apparatus (CABA) and will be run in partnership with leading technology provider Dräger.
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Xtralis is working in cooperation with the City of London Police to explore technology solutions that will allow live transmission of video and audio from central monitoring locations of police vehicles and officer-worn vests. The new Xtralis technology will allow officers at police stations to view live video and audio at the incident scene to better assess situations and more efficiently deploy appropriate assistance.
This new partnership will ensure the college’s training curriculum will be delivered using the latest equipment available. Up to 200 delegates will be able to undergo training at any one time, expanding the college’s ability to deliver assessed, accredited and assured training to fire and rescue services across the UK and internationally. Jez Smith, Managing Director of the Fire Service College, said, “This new facility is testament to the investment we are making in building a true centre of excellence for fire service training in the UK. It will allow us to train more delegates to a higher standard – ensuring that the public and firefighters across the UK are kept as safe as possible.”
“Dräger will be an integral delivery partner for the new facility. Our new partnership will further enhance the college’s ability to deliver high quality, assessed, accredited and assured training in the most modern of environments.” The facility is the first product of a new strategic alliance between the Fire Service College and Dräger. Beyond the new BA training facility, the partnership will see the college and Dräger work together to develop new products, expert training – and provide the opportunity to test and showcase the latest in fire safety equipment. www.fireservicecollege.ac.uk www.draeger.com
Gloucestershire Constabulary has signed a four-year contract with Airwave to implement the Pronto electronic notebook and suite of policing applications for their police officers. The initial rollout will see approximately 700 police officers issued with devices pre-loaded with applications with a further 300 due to be issued in phase 2. The device facilitates remote and mobile access to all local and national back-end systems such as the Police National Computer (PNC), Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Harassment (DASH) forms, collision reports, as well as the force command and control and crime and intelligence systems. The programme will be managed and delivered by Airwave’s wholly owned subsidiary, Kelvin Connect. www.airwavesolutions.co.uk
Devon and Cornwall Police and Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service have launched an innovative pilot project aimed at protecting victims of domestic abuse across South Devon. Aimed at reducing harm and enabling the most vulnerable to feel safe in their homes, agencies will work collaboratively to provide services personalised to victims targeting hidden harm. New revised joint home safety visits in high-risk cases will include comprehensive security reviews effectively identifying, reducing and preventing repeat victimisation. Devon and Cornwall Police has invested £2000 in the pilot enabling the purchase of specialised prevention equipment. www.devon-cornwall.police.uk
East of England Ambulance Service has invested almost £1m in 1000 new defibrillators, which will be placed across the six counties it serves in locations such as sports centres, village halls and libraries. North Norfolk is receiving the first 50 units, another 20 are going into Suffolk and 40 are being sent out across north Essex. Another 30 are going into Cambridgeshire and 10 in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire. www.eastamb.nhs.uk
February 2015
6 | ESTNEWS Trojan Garage Equipment Services Ltd has been awarded three new contracts, for Cardiff City Council, Dyfed-Powys Police and Wincanton Logistics. These contracts are for the company’s core business of service maintenance and calibration of garage equipment and annual on site load testing. All contracts will be utilising Trojan’s full electronic equipment maintenance log to make managing large workshops with equipment in constant demand quicker and easier. www.trojanges.co.uk
CRG (Castlerock Recruitment Group), the St Helens-based national recruitment and health service provider, has been appointed by Merseyside Police, as part of a £5.8m, three-year contract. CRG will provide Merseyside Police with a dedicated healthcare service, including FME doctors and nurses. The lucrative framework win follows a six-month tender process, which involved bringing together a specialist team of experts. www.crg.uk.com
Traffic and security staff from the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham have been praised by West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) after they came to the aid of not one but two members of the public in 2014 after they both suffered a cardiac arrest. On 19 January, during The NEC’s ‘Good Practice and Recognition Awards’, seven security and traffic officers were presented with commendations from the service. www.wmas.nhs.uk
After a successful initial two years, the Government’s Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) is now in transition to longer term arrangements to ensure that the emergency services are embedding JESIP locally and to ensure the emergency services continually learn lessons from incidents, training and exercising improving joint working at incidents. A new Interoperability Board has been established and will meet quarterly, regularly reporting to Ministers. A small central JESIP team will remain in place to support services and to centrally maintain and update the JESIP Joint Doctrine and the associated training products.The full programme evaluation and the results of the second workforce survey (facilitated by Skills for Justice) are now available on the JESIP website. www.jesip.org.uk
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
Community focused role for North West Ambulance Service’s advanced paramedics North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) has developed a new Advanced Community Paramedic (ACP) role, which will see individual clinicians working more closely with the communities they serve and helping to deliver more locally co-designed models of care. The introduction of the ACP role will add additional capacity as a 999 responder and to build relationships with patients, the public and other provider organisations, to create a more integrated and patient-centered approach. The purpose of the role is to improve the local community infrastructure and to provide safe care closer to home. The ACPs will be co-located with a local primary or community care facility such as a GP Practice, Health Centre or Community Hospital and will remain in
the community on a permanent basis. The role will support and develop existing schemes, including Safe Care Closer to Home, Community First Responders, Mental Health care, end of life care, frequent callers and protecting vulnerable persons. Working with other providers, the ACPs will be able to identify and work with groups of the local population to improve their health and wellbeing. Director of Operations Derek Cartwright said, “The trust recognised a need within some of the region’s most isolated and busier areas for a dedicated clinician to forge proactive and positive relationships within communities. The Advanced Community Paramedics will become a familiar face in the area they are based; focusing on meeting the needs of patients and assisting in the strengthening of
NWAS ACPs Mark Allen, Claire Morris and Gary Organ.
community services with local businesses, services, and councils.” The ACPs will also help to promote innovation by testing new ideas or technologies in an ambulance setting, such as: patient activation measures, health coaching, telemedicine and the use of self-care and self-triage guidance by patients. www.nwas.nhs.uk
Protective film helps ambulance service in Sweden contain infectious diseases Packexe® SMASH film is widely used by fire and rescue services the world over, to help with extrication situations where glass is involved. In addition, the self-adhesive protection films are used throughout NHS departments and particularly in Nuclear Medicine Units, to safely and efficiently prevent contamination or radiation in ‘high risk’ areas. Recently, Packexe® SMASH has been launched to help another emergency service, the ambulance service – specifically, an enlightened ambulance team in Northern Sweden. The idea to use the Packexe® rescue product Packexe® SMASH within ambulances came from an ambulance crew in Sundsvall, Sweden. One of the
crew is also a fire and rescue operative and had used the film during extrication situations. Due to the product’s strength and adhesive qualities, the firefighter suggested replicating use inside the ambulance. According to Fredrik Granholm, EMS Doctor, Sundsvall Ambulance Service, “So far we have dealt with two suspected cases of Ebola in the county
of Vasternorrland. Whilst thankfully, Ebola is not a serious threat for us in Sweden currently, this could change at any time. For the foreseeable future in Sweden, we will use Packexe® SMASH when transporting patients with serious infectious diseases, especially Tuberculosis. Packexe® SMASH has helped us deliver a fast, safe and efficient service and we would highly recommend that other ambulance services trial this vital method of infection control.” The film is unrolled and trimmed to cover the whole ambulance interior, which takes approximately 12 minutes (for a large ambulance). www.packexesmash.com
Joint control centre opens in Merseyside
Chief Fire Officer Dan Stephens with The Princess Royal. Photo: Tony Thomas.
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal has opened a new Joint Police and Fire
Command and Control Centre (JCC) in Merseyside. The centre, based at the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service headquarters in Bootle, also provides accommodation, which for the first time allows the co-location of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, Merseyside Police, and the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) Operational Planning teams. The overall cost of the project including refurbishment of the site was £7.6m and was funded by Merseyside Police and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Authority.
Assistant Chief Constable Ian Pilling, said, “The provision of this building is a great example of partnership working, and we are seeing clear operational and financial benefits of working alongside our Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service colleagues in this new building. I am delighted that Her Royal Highness was able to join us to celebrate the official opening of the centre. It is a place from which we can deliver our vision of working in partnership to make Merseyside safer.” www.merseyfire.gov.uk
February 2015
8 | ESTEVENTS
Rescue 3 Europe hosts third rescue conference
Diary dates in 2015
Rescue 3 Europe has established an event specifically for the technical rescue industry: a unique combination of conference, trade exhibition and instructor update workshops. The event will bring together industry experts, technical rescue professionals, expert practitioners, manufacturers and distributors, to share developments in practice and equipment, access the latest research and technology, and network with other professionals. Rescue 3 Europe certifies and manages all European Rescue 3 training providers, instructors and students. It is one of the world’s leading technical rescue training organisations, with over 190,000 students in 32 countries, with over 120 training providers in Europe alone. In 2013, Rescue 3 Europe hosted the second biennial Rescue 3 Instructor Conference at the Millennium Stadium and Cardiff International White Water. 2015 sees the third event, which takes place at Llangollen International Pavilion on 15 April. The conference, chaired by Tim Rogers, of Charlotte Fire Department, will feature keynote speakers from around the globe, including Professor Mike Tipton (University of Portsmouth), Ivan Šafradin and Josip Granić (Hrvatska gorska služba spašavanja – Croatian Mountain Rescue Service), John Hulse (SARCALL), and Alex Hanson and Laurie Adams (Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service).
3 March Professional Clothing Show – Meet the Buyer London Marriott Hotel, Regent’s Park www.professionalclothingshow.com
4-5 March Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience Europe The Hague, Netherlands www.cipre-expo.com
10-12 March Security and Policing 2015 FIVE Farnborough, Hampshire www.securityandpolicing.co.uk
Latest technical kit The trade exhibition runs alongside the conference and showcases the latest technical rescue equipment from leading manufacturers and suppliers to the rescue industry. In addition to the conference and trade exhibition, the 2015 event also features instructor update workshops on 14 and 16 April. Run by Rescue 3 instructor trainers from Europe and the USA, these workshops are based at Mile End Mill on the River Dee, and involve technical input and practical sessions, enabling Rescue 3 instructors to update their water, boat, rope and confined space instructor awards. With the experience and expertise of Rescue 3 Europe behind it, this will be a world-class event, which is relevant to anyone involved with the technical rescue industry.
Free-to-attend conference A high quality CPD accredited conference stream will be free to attend for all visitors to the show. It will be packed with presentations and discussions from leading representatives from the NHS, the ambulance and fire and rescue services, hospitals and the police. Conference topics include subjects such as: dealing with a
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
www.bapco.co.uk
14-16 April Rescue 3 Technical Rescue Conference Llangollen, North Wales www.rescue3europe.com
21-22 April Counter Terror Expo 2015 Olympia, London www.counterterrorexpo.com
21-22 April Ambition 2015 Olympia, London www.ambitionexpouk.com
www.rescue3europe.com
CPD accredited conference at Ambition The Ambition conference and exhibition will host its 5th edition at London’s Olympia from 21-22 April 2015, alongside the established Counter Terror Expo and Forensic Europe Expo events. Ambition 2015 will give this growing professional community from Government departments, the NHS, councils, local resilience forums, ambulance trusts, fire and police organisations and specialist agencies, an opportunity to develop together with a range of networking, conference and exhibition features designed specifically around their needs.
31 March – 1 April British APCO 2015 Manchester Central
marauding terrorist firearms attack; management of Ebola and other viral haemorrhagic fevers; disorder and public order; blue light collaboration – can it really work?; cyber-terrorism and its effect on the healthcare system; flooding and fast moving water; new HART and SORT ambulance capabilities; fire as a potential terrorist weapon; the emergency communications infrastructure; and the latest CBRNe challenges.
Leading industry exhibitors Ambition 2015 has been re-designed and moved further into the main hall alongside Counter Terror Expo, which allows the conference area to remain within the hall, enhancing visitors’ networking opportunities and experience at the show. This new floor plan has already attracted a host of leading industry suppliers, including BMW, Excelerate Technology, BCAS Biomedical Services, Magnum Services, Respirex and Tytek Medical, to name just a few. Online registration for Ambition is now open. Registering in advance is free and gives you access to the exhibition, free-to-attend conferences and networking drinks reception.
www.ambitionexpouk.com
24 April Sky Tech Conference & Exhibition 2015 Business Design Centre, London www.skytechevent.com
8-13 June Interschutz 2015 Hannover, Germany www.interschutz.de
9-10 June NAPFM The Emergency Fleet Exhibition The International Centre, Telford www.napfmevent.org.uk
8-9 July Ambulex 2015 Ricoh Arena, Coventry www.ambulex.com
23-27 August International Association of Women Police 53rd Annual Training Conference Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff www.iawp2015.org
15-18 September DSEI 2015 Excel, London www.dsei.co.uk
23-24 September The Emergency Services Show 2015 The NEC, Birmingham www.emergencyuk.com
21-22 October Life Connections 2015 Kettering Conference Centre www.lifeconnections.uk.com
27-30 October A+A 2015 Düsselfdorf, Germany www.aplusa.de
February 2015
ESTPEOPLE | 9
Highways Agency Chief Executive to step down The Chief Executive of the Highways Agency (HA), Graham Dalton, has announced that he is leaving his post in the summer. During his seven years in post Graham has led the agency through a time of financial constraint and of growing ambition for the strategic road network. He has led the agency as it has established a strong reputation for efficiency, for delivering capital investment, and for operating one of the most intensively used road networks in Europe. Graham Dalton said, “It has been a privilege to lead the Highways Agency through such an exciting time. I am leaving the business in good shape with a great team of people and an unprecedented five-year fixed investment plan.
Graham Dalton, Chief Executive, Highways Agency.
“Highways England, which will come into being in April following Royal Assent of the Government’s Infrastructure Bill, will need a Chief Executive who can commit to delivering the first Roads Investment Strategy, which runs to 2020. I will work with Chairman Colin Matthews to ensure an orderly handover to my successor in the summer.” HA Chairman Colin Matthews said, “Graham has led the Highways Agency to the point where we can confidently confront the fresh opportunities and challenges in the Government’s Road Investment Strategy. I thank him warmly for all he has achieved during his successful tenure as CEO.” The Highways Agency, an agency of the Department for Transport, is the organisation responsible for the operation, maintenance and improvement of the strategic road network in England. The Infrastructure Bill, currently going through Parliament, will see the Highways Agency become a government-owned company, Highways England, responsible for delivering over 100 new road schemes between now and the end of the next parliament. www.highways.gov.uk
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
Dr Fionna Moore to lead London Ambulance Service Chairman Richard Hunt has appointed Dr Fionna Moore MBE, a highly respected A&E consultant of 25 years and current Medical Director, to be the interim Chief Executive of London Ambulance Service (LAS). Speaking on her appointment, Fionna said, “It will be a privilege to lead this organisation and our highly professional staff. I am determined to support and work together with staff, to build on the work that has already been done towards improving the service we provide to patients.” Chief Executive Ann Radmore has left LAS to take up a national role with NHS England, working jointly with TDA and Monitor on new care models, building on her previous operational experience of implementing successful changes to stroke services in London. Richard said, “I would like to thank Ann for her hard work and dedication for the past two years. In her time with us Ann has created a clinical career structure for paramedics from classroom to boardroom, secured significant investment and agreed plans with CCG commissioners for next year, including funding for over 1000 frontline posts and investment in paramedic further education. I am pleased Ann will now use her frontline experience at a national level in the NHS.”
www.ntda.nhs.uk
Fionna Moore, Medical Director, LAS.
Ann said, “This was a hard decision to make. I have enjoyed every minute of working with the dedicated and compassionate staff here, and I will be sad to go. I have huge confidence in Dr Fionna Moore and the leadership team and I know that Fionna will lead the organisation with integrity and strength, putting patients at the heart of every decision she makes.” www.londonambulance.nhs.uk
Hampshire appoints new Deputy Chief Officer A new Deputy Chief Officer for Hampshire has been appointed to support new Chief Dave Curry. Neil Odin has stepped into the Deputy
New Deputy Chief Officer for Hampshire Neil Odin.
Wyn Dignan has been appointed as Chair of North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust (NWAS) from 1 February 2015 until 31 January 2017. The appointment comes following the departure of the trust’s previous Chair, Mary Whyham, in December 2014, after she had served the maximum term permitted for an NHS Chair. A Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Wyn’s ‘hands-on’ approach and passion for high quality care for the most vulnerable is well known across the local health economy.
role vacated by Mr Curry, who replaced outgoing Chief Officer John Bonney on 1 January. Mr Odin, who joined Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service as Assistant Chief Officer in 2011, said, “It is a real honour to be chosen to serve as Hampshire’s new Deputy Chief. Our service is going through significant changes and I am delighted to form part of a strong new leadership team as we face the challenges ahead and continue to keep our communities safe.” Mr Odin was chosen following a rigorous two-day selection process at the service’s headquarters in Eastleigh. Chief Officer Curry said, “Neil’s appointment will be important and influential in ensuring the Hampshire public continues to be served by one of the highest performing fire and rescue services in the country.” www.hantsfire.gov.uk
Two new Directors have been appointed at Bristol Uniforms Ltd. Edward Shepherd, previously Service Operations Manager, who joined the company in April 2004, becomes Service Operations Director. He will continue his responsibility for all customer service related matters for both product and managed services in the UK and internationally. David Thompson, who joined the company in May 2013 as Finance Manager, becomes Finance Director and continues to be responsible for all financial aspects of the company. www.bristoluniforms.co.uk
Civil Engineer Sarah Toy has joined Bristol City Council as a Strategic Resilience Officer (SRO). This new post comes as a direct result of Bristol’s membership of the global network of 100 Resilient Cities, a £100m global project run by the Rockefeller Foundation in the USA. The foundation funds Ms Toy’s post and as a member city Bristol can tap into funding and expertise to help it develop a Resilience Plan for Bristol and the wider West of England. Sarah's role will see her working with stakeholders to develop a shared vision and an implementation plan to make Bristol more resilient to potential shocks and stresses such as flooding and health and wealth inequalities. www.bristol.gov.uk
After 33 years as a police officer, Chief Constable Pat Geenty of Wiltshire Police has announced his intention to retire in May of this year. Mr Geenty joined Wiltshire Police in July 2009 and was appointed substantive Chief Constable of the force in May 2012. Angus Macpherson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon, will now work on a continuity plan for the force to ensure that Wiltshire Police is able to maintain consistency in leadership. www.wiltshire.police.uk
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February 2015
ESTVEHICLES | 11
Mobile treatment centre is a UK first South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) has taken delivery of a new purpose-built mobile treatment centre. The treatment centre was in operation over the festive period providing an alcohol recovery facility in Bristol. The alcohol recovery centre (ARC) is a place of safety where emergency care assistants, paramedics and emergency care practitioners can assess and monitor patients who have become vulnerable due to an excess of alcohol, without the need for a visit to the hospital emergency department. It has treatment areas for up to eight patients at any one time, a reception and patient waiting area, toilets and showers and infection control and cleansing and staff welfare facilities.
Key Facts • • • • •
Right care, right place, right time SWASFT Chief Executive, Ken Wenman, said, “It is absolutely vital that we are able to provide patients with the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Every one of our patients deserves the very best care and that does not always mean a trip to a hospital emergency department.
“Current demand for ambulance services and the NHS as a whole means we must manage patients in the right way. This new mobile treatment centre will allow us the flexibility to take the excellent care our staff provide to where it is needed.” The scheme has been made possible with £500,000 funding from the National Licensed Trade Association (NLTA) with money raised from another of its initiatives – Barcode. Barcode is at the heart of the NLTA, a not for profit organisation formed to raise awareness of alcohol consumption and retailing. Barcode itself is a memberdriven training programme, which aims to redefine the way we think about alcohol by delivering a national standard of competence within the drinks industry. Additional support from Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has enabled the trust to staff the vehicle with SWASFT clinicians.
(From L to R) Peter Brown, Resilience Officer, SWASFT; Inspector Keith Rundel, Avon & Somerset Constabulary; Ken Wenman, CEO, South West ambulance Service (SWASFT); and Andy Bishop, MD, NLTA.
covers a very large area and there are many events across our patch which will benefit from this facility.” Chief Inspector Catherine Johnstone from Avon and Somerset Constabulary, said, “We are pleased that through this partnership project, SWAST will be able to use this new mobile treatment centre to provide swift, accessible, patient care in a variety of ways within Bristol, across our force area and the wider South West.”
“This new mobile treatment centre will allow us to provide a better service to the public through joint working with our partners.” Ken Wenman added, “The ambulance service has become the mobile arm of the NHS and as such, we must be responsive to the needs of our patients. While calling 999 for life-threatening emergencies is absolutely the right thing to do, and those patients will always need to be conveyed to emergency
Vehicle length: 24m (with the ramp deployed) Vehicle width: 4.6m Manufacturer: DWT Exhibitions Cost: £700,000 Facilities: - 6 x Observation / Minors Beds - 1 x Fully equipped Resus/Majors Bay - 1 x Health Care Professional Assessment Area - Waiting area - Toilets - Fully equipped sluice - Kitchen and staff welfare area - Reception/Triage area
departments, we know that many others call with more minor complaints and it is important that we are able to care for them while making sure emergency ambulances and hospital beds are available for those most in need.”
Pioneering national scheme Andy Bishop, MD, NLTA, said, “We are delighted to be involved with this pioneering national scheme that will have a profound effect on the licensed trade and in turn reduce the pressure of anti-social drinking on the emergency services.” SWASFT is the first ambulance service to have such a purpose-built vehicle of this kind. Launching first with the mobile unit in the South West of England and a triage centre in the North West of England, a national roll out is planned across the UK in the next 18 months.
www.swast.nhs.uk www.thenlta.org www.barcodeuk.org
Multi-agency partnership The Alcohol Recovery Centre is a multi-agency partnership between Avon and Somerset Constabulary, South Western Ambulance Service, Bristol City Council, NHS Bristol Clinical Commissioning Group, National Licensed Trade Association (NLTA), and University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. Pete Brown, SWASFT Resilience Officer, said, “This new mobile treatment centre will allow us to provide a better service to the public through joint working with our partners; not only for the patients who are cared for at the centre but for anyone else who needs the services of the ambulance, police or hospital. “While the new vehicle will see its first outing as an ARC, having a purpose-built mobile treatment centre will allow us to use it throughout the year. SWASFT
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
February 2015
ESTVEHICLES | 13
Mercedes-Benz vans range has all the answers for SECAmb Additional vehicles
In addition to its frontline accident and emergency ambulances SECAmb has now assigned Mercedes-Benz vans to a variety of new roles.
The South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SECAmb) has long-standing links with Mercedes-Benz – its 300 A&E ambulances are based on 5.0-tonne Sprinter chassis cabs while it also assigns Mercedes-Benz vehicles to other tasks such as non-emergency patient transport and logistical support. The trust has now based a series of innovative vehicle concepts on all three models from the award-winning Mercedes-Benz Vans range. Over the final quarter of 2014 dealer Rossetts Commercials supplied SECAmb with 30 Euro VI-engined Sprinter 519 CDIs with automatic transmissions and Wilker box bodies, ordered through its ongoing, annual frontline fleet replacement programme.
This time, though, Rossetts has also delivered a number of additional vehicles, which have been commissioned by the trust’s Fleet Operations and Driving Standards departments for new roles. These include: • Four critical care ambulances based on the same chassis and body combination as the standard accident and emergency units, but with additional equipment for treating the most seriously ill patients • Thirty-seven 2.8-tonne Vito 116 CDI Dualiners with second rows of seats and purpose-built interiors allowing patients to be treated for minor wounds and injuries rather than being taken to hospital. These vehicles are being allocated to specialist paramedic practitioners as a more practical and efficient alternative to a conventional fast response car • Five 4.0-tonne Sprinter 419 CDI vans now operating as SECAmb’s first dedicated Driver Training Units, which have been specially converted and fitted with an array of cameras and high-tech telematics equipment to complement and increase the learning experience • Three Logistics Support Units also based on Sprinter 419 CDI vans and used to transport medical equipment and pharmaceutical supplies between hospitals and other establishments
• 14 Compact 109 CDI models from the Citan small van range, which SECAmb is trialling for the first time with a view to using for logistics support and, possibly, providing to community-based ‘first responders’.
Reliability and support Justin Wand, SECAmb’s Head of Fleet Operations, said, “We have switched from a ‘one size fits all’ vehicle strategy, to an approach which recognises that the fleet should reflect the changing clinical requirements of our patients and the specialisms within our workforce. “However, while acknowledging the need for vehicles of different sizes and specification, we also wanted to standardise on a consistent, reliable platform. Mercedes-Benz was the obvious partner, not least because in the Sprinter, Vito and Citan its range includes a model which is right for every application. “We take our partnership with Mercedes-Benz and Rossetts Commercials very seriously. Both have been very keen to work with us as we continue to improve the service which they support, along with the other Mercedes-Benz dealers that cover our 4000 square-mile area of operation.”
www.secamb.nhs.uk
Babcock announces acquisition of vehicle conversion specialist Babcock International Group has announced the acquisition of MacNeillie, the leading specialist vehicle converter. MacNeillie will strengthen Babcock’s whole life asset management capability to its customers operating within critical and complex sectors such as the Metropolitan Police Service, London Fire Brigade, MoD and Highways Agency. MacNeillie will continue to trade as MacNeillie and operate from its existing facilities under Nigel Rowley, its Managing Director, while benefiting from the growth opportunities that Babcock’s scale, broader customer portfolio and international operations will bring.
Technical excellence UK-based MacNeillie is a long established supplier to the emergency services, civil service, military and other security focused organisations, both in the UK and abroad. Bringing over 100-years’ experience in the design and manufacture of specialist vehicles and protection system integrations, MacNeillie combines innovation, craftsmanship and technical excellence to supply and support quality deployed product to a worldwide critical market.
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
In acquiring MacNeillie, Babcock recognises that it can add even greater value to its customer portfolio helping them to deliver more, more efficiently and without compromising on quality. Currently Babcock manages over 30,000 vehicles globally and uses ALCAMiE™, its proven approach to optimising fleets, to deliver a range of long term benefits. ALCAMiE™ comprises a set of customised systems and processes and is used to manage the whole life of assets, enabling customers to fully focus on their core operations.
Quality, expertise and innovation Neal Misell, Managing Director for Babcock’s Critical Services business, said, “We are delighted to have MacNeillie within the Babcock Group. It is a brand renowned for its quality, expertise and innovation within the sectors it serves and we both share the same values; namely a focus on our people and their safety, long term partnerships and excellence in delivery. “The acquisition of MacNeillie is particularly significant to the business as it provides the final piece in our whole life asset management capability. Agnostic in approach,
we can continue to help our customer procure the right asset for the job whilst, for the first time, fully manage the asset from the conversion design and manufacture through to replacement. We look forward to MacNeillie reaping the benefits of our customer base and international growth.”
Same high level of service Nigel Rowley, MacNeillie’s Managing Director, said, “This is an incredible opportunity for MacNeillie and we very much welcome being part of the Babcock family. I’d also like to pay credit to Keith Bradley, the MacNeillie Chairman, and our people for what has been achieved over the last 40 years – this has provided an exceptionally strong foundation for international growth with Babcock. “I’m also delighted that we can offer our customers even greater value going forward as well as reassuring them that it’s business as usual on our sites – with the same high level of service delivered by the same people at the same locations.”
www.babcockinternational.com
February 2015
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BMW STRIVes for excellence The BMW X5 xDrive25d AC STRIVe unit commenced a formal three-month evaluation programme on 6 January 2015 with a metropolitan fire and rescue service. Development of the STRIVe unit is the culmination of four working group meetings (volunteers from seven UK fire and rescue services) that helped to steer the final design of this highly versatile response unit. With a crew of three firefighters with enhanced skills, the STRIVe unit focuses on a primary role of extraction but can also undertake other defined supporting response roles, including water rescue, small nuisance fires and lock outs. The vehicle can easily role change to include high-level rope rescue equipment in place of, for example, water rescue kit. The operating platform of the STRIVe unit is a BMW F15 Series X5 xDrive25d AC model. The 30d and 40d engine variants of the X5 are used extensively in other heavy-duty roles within police authorities and, more recently, by the ambulance service. The 25d engine is recommended for fire and rescue duties where a high top speed is not required. Significant reductions in CO2 g/km output and fuel budget savings can be achieved with the 25d engine. On a DIN specification model this vehicle can achieve a CO2 figure of 154g/km and up to 48.7mpg on the combined cycle.
“Significant reductions in CO2 g/km output and fuel budget savings can be achieved with the 25d engine.� In addition to improving traction, the system also recognises the first signs of over-steering and under-steering. Within a tenth of a second it distributes up to almost 100 percent of the engine torque to the front or rear axle via the transmission and an electronically controlled multiple-plate clutch before returning to the normal 40:60 distribution ratio.
Equipment stowage This vehicle is equipped with a Bayley short TX triple ladder designed for fire and rescue services and extends to 5.4m. The ladder is secured on an ERGO easy access and clamp system. Firefighter PPE is stowed in the easily accessed roof pod system. This unit can be quickly lowered through a
cantilever action providing PPE stowed under flexible straps presented at face height. The rear offside door area provides a large stowage for a hydrant standpipe, toolbox, spreader/cutter, angle grinder, reciprocating saw, a large bolt cutter, telescopic ladder, axe and manual rip saw. The inner door card has been replaced with a 5mm impact polycarbonate liner to provide a deeper working area and surface on which to mount equipment. The large tailgate aperture and load area provides space for a high level of specialist role-equipment. Employing the STRIVe unit to its full potential at targeted incidents would free up type B appliances to focus on heavier duty calls.
www.bmwgroup-gaad.co.uk
The rear offside door stowage area.
Intelligent four-wheel-drive The X5 is equipped with the X Drive four-wheel-drive system; each axle uses its traction to the maximum. X Drive provides stable acceleration out of bends. If more torque has to be applied to the road, such as when driving in adverse conditions, the Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) then comes into operation.
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
The large tailgate aperture and load area provides space for a high level of specialist role-equipment.
The roof pod system can be quickly lowered through a cantilever action.
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February 2015
16 | ESTVEHICLES
Unmanned robotic fire fighting system available to lease in the UK An unmanned robotic fire fighting system, the DOK-ING MVF 5, has taken part in a series of trials, demonstrations and displays to the UK emergency services. The first outing for MVF 5 was as the base for a CBRNe reconnaissance concept demonstrator at the VXIII International CBRN conference recently held at Shrivenham.
The MVF 5 has been developed by DOK-ING, the Croatian robotic vehicle company. The company also produces humanitarian mine clearance, combat and civil engineering and confined space digging vehicles that deal with violent and dangerous incidents in critical national infrastructure, underground, oil, explosive and similar facilities. With its size, power and attached ‘ripper gripper’, the MVF 5 is able to deal with hazmat events where the deployment of fire and rescue service personnel close to the incident is considered too dangerous. The 11-tonne tracked MVF 5 features a remote control system that can be managed from a small hand
held box similar to a game controller or a fully equipped command centre up to 1500m line of sight away from the fire or other event. Carrying 2000l of water and 500l of foam, it can be deployed into the heart of a fire or other hazardous incident and fight the fire, cool hazardous devices such as gas cylinders, decontaminate items needing this, rip open closed containers allowing access or pull things such as vehicles or gas cylinders from the scene.
with other issues in blazing ammunition and fuel depots and deal with the impacted debris at major vehicle and train crashes where it has been too dangerous to deploy firefighters. Where these sorts of hazards and issues exist everyone in the fire departments have rapidly come to appreciate the capability these machines have to offer in protecting the population and containing damage and doing so with reduced risk to fire and rescue personnel.”
Centralised demonstrations
Welcome challenge
The MVF5 will be available through DOK-ING’s UK representative Lutra Associates Limited and based at Tactical HazMat Ltd in Evesham. The unit will be available for demonstrations and trials, mainly at Tactical HazMat’s facility, and will also be taking part in centralised demonstrations. In addition, the unit will be available to be leased and deployed by fire and rescue services should the need arise. Tim Otter, Lutra’s Chief Executive, said, “At this early stage in MVF 5’s development only a few units have been produced so it is a strong sign of the importance of the UK market that the prototype MVF5 is making its first overseas deployment in a demonstration role here. Its other deployments have been to fight fires and deal
Kevin Miller, the Chief Executive of Tactical HazMat, said, “We will have an initial training period with teachers from DOK-ING then once trained and certified as competent instructors ourselves we will be able to run demonstrations and courses for the UK’s fire services whether public, private or military. The ability, in this initial period, to deploy the unit as a leased vehicle, to authorities that find they have a need for the capability MVF 5 brings, is a challenge we look forward to helping our colleagues in the fire and rescue services with. We see this as a natural extension of our hazmat activities.”
www.lutra-associates.com www.tacticalhazmat.com
Ford Transit Custom vital to blood circulation The Ford Transit Custom is to play a vital role in the country’s wellbeing – with the NHS Blood and Transplant service (NHSBT). Around 65 percent of the NHSBT fleet of nearly 500 vehicles are already Fords, from blue light Ford Focus Estate models to specially adapted Ford Transits, each of which has a key task in keeping blood supplies circulating.
The Ford Transit Custom.
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
NHSBT’s National Fleet Service Manager, Larry Bannon, said, “We are pleased to welcome the Ford Transit Custom on to our fleet and we are sure it will more than meet our expectations. The Transit is recognised throughout this industry as the perennial best in class, and it is certainly the best vehicle that fits our purpose, with excellent network support and a spare parts supply second to none.” In addition to emergency service livery and the fitment of special storage equipment, each van is lined in a special waterproof resin to enable power washing of the interior to ensure cleanliness to prescribed and regularly audited levels. Larry Bannon added, “The Ford vans are used in every stage of the blood donation process, from collecting the blood from the village halls and schools where blood donation sessions are set up, then transporting the donated blood to our regional processing sites where it is tested, processed and sorted, through to delivering units of blood to hospitals, whether as part of a routine order or under emergency blue light cover to meet a hospital’s urgent needs.”
Ford vans are used in every stage of the blood donation process.
Ford Direct Sales Manager, Terry Adams, said, “It is reassuring to know a life-saving service that any of us might need to call upon, has placed its faith in the safety and reliability of Ford Transit.”
www.ford.co.uk
February 2015
ESTVEHICLES | 19
Suppliers given the green light for blue light vehicle framework agreement Vehicle suppliers to the public sector, police and emergency services, including the Volkswagen Group UK Ltd and Hyundai, have secured three-year contracts under the new Crown Commercial Service (CCS) vehicle supply framework agreement. The new three-year RM1070 Vehicle Supply Framework Agreement, which took effect in December, supersedes two agreements which treated the public sector and the police and emergency services separately, ensuring a wider audience for all suppliers on the framework.
All Volkswagen Group UK Ltd brands – Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Commercial Vehicles, Audi, SEAT and ŠKODA – have been appointed under the new framework, which expands the potential reach of the contract to vehicles, which may have previously been out of scope. Steve Cowell, Technical Sales Manager, Volkswagen Group UK Ltd, said, “The new CCS agreement provides us with much broader scope for supply and allows us to showcase vehicles within our range for a variety of different roles – from public sector pool cars through police ‘beat cars’ and ambulances to motorway traffic vehicles. “We’re delighted to have been appointed under the framework and are committed to ensuring our vehicles and our people provide these important new customers with the service and back-up they need and deserve.”
Reliability and flexibility
VW Fabia Estate.
The police forces supplied by Hyundai are spread widely across England and Wales, with the biggest customer boasting more than 600 vehicles, including 500 i30s.
Martin Wilson, Fleet Director, Hyundai Motor UK, said, “The emergency services are discerning and demanding customers, and rightly so, when lives may depend on vehicle reliability and flexibility. With these high-profile customers using our vehicles, it acts as a powerful recommendation to potential buyers.
www.hyundai.co.uk www.volkswagengroup.co.uk
RNLI’s new rescue vehicles provide multi-purpose operational support The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has recently made operational its first of 12 Rescue Support Vehicles, a multi-purpose platform for supporting rescue, prevention, community education and other operational demands. Based on Mercedes Sprinter 3.5T high-roof MWB chassis, with full 4WD, the vehicles contain a basic but effective command facility, storage, an advanced electrical charging bank, communications equipment, welfare and changing/privacy areas and a sealed wet hanging area for the drying of PPE and other equipment. The vehicles were procured from Pentagon Mercedes in Poole, with the majority of coach-building and fit-out carried out at CoTrim vehicle conversions of Salisbury under RNLI supervision.
The vehicle is based on Mercedes Sprinter 3.5T high-roof MWB chassis. Photo: RNLI/Robin Goodlad.
Perfect balance RNLI Operations Engineer Rob Inett, who designed and project-managed the RSVs, said, “These new vehicles are a simple but robust interpretation of the concept of a command platform. It’s taken us a long time to get the balance right between simplicity, payload, fit-out, quality and flexibility, but the completed Mk1 version seems to have met the vast majority of requirements with the minimum of installation complexity. “The first half of the new fleet is intended for use primarily in supporting rescue teams in the group during flood events, but we have designed these with a firm eye on their wider uses in a variety of humanitarian, fundraising, education and operational arenas.”
Flood Rescue Team, based in Saltash. It is intended to be deployed as part of a B-type Flood Rescue team, alongside one boat, one towing vehicle and a team of seven or more persons, for up to 10 self-sufficient hours. Now fitted-out, the RSV has a payload capacity of around 560kg, a towing capacity of 2000kg, seating for four persons and minimum height clearance of approximately 3.2m. In an emergency, the vehicle can wade in up to 50cm of water. The electrical system is supported by a 3.6kVa petrol generator, mains power feed or an on-board 12V battery bank, supporting a wide range of electronic charging, domestic/welfare and heating applications. The remainder of the fleet is expected to be completed during 2015, with a service life of 10 or more years.
www.rnli.org
Flood response Now fitted-out, the RSV has a payload capacity of around 560kg. Photo: RNLI/Robin Goodlad.
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
The first of these new vehicles has now gone on operational service with the RNLI's South Regional
The RSV has seating for four persons. Photo: RNLI/Robin Goodlad.
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Driving even greater savings The police fleet is the 10th largest in the UK according to the Fleet News 50 and is represented by the National Association of Police Fleet Managers (NAPFM), a fleet manager association whose membership accounts for a fleet size of over 44,000 vehicles.
Ford Focus Estate 2013.
The Government’s savings targets and the challenges these create, are the catalyst for some dynamic changes across the public sector, including the police fleet, which is adapting to meet these needs. The world, and the police fleet sector in particular, was different 50 years ago. This supplement will review the changes, challenges and successes of police fleet over these five decades – from the early days of police fleet management by uniformed officers, through civilianisation, the advent of national contracts, the work of the Home Office, the birth of the Crown Commercial Service, and the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners. Crown Commercial Service (CCS), working closely with the Home Office and the NAPFM, has let the new vehicle purchase framework. The new arrangement includes specific Blue Light lots, which will enable police forces and other emergency services to purchase vehicles
with enhanced specifications. This preserves what is unique about the police and emergency services market while aggregating spend with other government departments.
“… a fleet size of over 44,000 vehicles with an annual spend on the procurement of vehicles alone of approximately £100m per year.” Police forces spend around £100m per year on new vehicles and CCS estimate that savings of around £8m
Hyundai Sante Fe 2014.
will be achievable from using the new framework. Significant additional savings could be realised if police forces sign up to the national specifications currently being finalised while more sophisticated buying group arrangements based on common requirements could increase purchase volumes and drive even greater savings.
All editorial within the pages of this supplement has been written by Chris Malkin, Chair of NAPFM Procurement Committee & Fleet Manager, Lancashire Constabulary & Paul Murphy MCIPS, Police Fleet Procurement Category Manager, Collaborative Police Procurement Programme, Home Office. Details of the Framework along with summary documents and terms can be viewed on the following website: http://ccs-agreements.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/contracts/rm1070 The blue light lots are lots 7, 8 and 9 and these contain enhanced terms and conditions for emergency service unique requirements. For further information please contact: Paul Murphy MCIPS, Police Fleet Procurement Category Manager, Collaborative Police Procurement Programme, Home Office Tel: 07717 516651 | E-mail: paul.murphy4@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
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A history of police vehicle procurement The way police vehicles were purchased in the late 1960s and early 1970s was very different to today’s European contract laws and official agreements. Steve Botham, Fleet and Services Manager, Wiltshire Police recalls, in those early days, Fleet Managers were either Senior Uniformed Police Officers or retired Senior Police officers. The few civilian Fleet Managers or Workshop Managers were also usually responsible to Senior Uniformed Officers who headed up departments such as Admin, Finance, Support Services or, in the majority of cases, Traffic, which had a link to vehicles in operational terms. Unlike today, there were no distinct categories of operational use for vehicles and no concept of ‘Fit for Purpose’. In fact, apart from Traffic vehicles, there were very few vehicles in general use until the late 1960s.
Significant change The introduction of the National Unit Beat Policing scheme in 1967 brought about one of the biggest changes to police forces and the way policing was undertaken. This system introduced the ‘Panda’ name into policing, which brought with it the two-tone colours of the vehicle: surf blue body with white doors. This scheme, which replaced ‘Bobbies on the Beat’, resulted in the growth of police fleets, the size of which was still governed by the Home Office at that time (the Home Office relinquished control of police fleets in June 1988). With the fleets becoming larger and the replacement of vehicles becoming more important the choice and how they were purchased still remained the responsibility of the Senior Police Officer. Vehicles were often chosen on subjective terms rather than the objective evaluation criteria used today and in most cases the decision was to buy British, with the smaller types of vehicles coming from a local dealer. In some instances a basic tendering process was in place. This consisted of a specification for the vehicle and, in some cases, a named make and model. This practice was later stopped but the specification would include items that only a specific make of vehicle had, which meant the tender always resulted in the desired vehicle being purchased. The Senior Officer, with sometimes the Finance Director (Another Senior Officer who was, of course, independent) present, would open the tenders from local vehicle dealers behind closed doors. The tenders were examined and the local dealer selected usually on price. The results were published and orders made out to the dealers for the quantity required. There was no expectation of a delivery date and the vehicles were standard production models. These arrangements never really changed until the mid 1980s with the creation of the National Association of Police Fleet Managers (NAPFM). The association’s first task was to bring professionalism to the police vehicle tender process.
Ford Mk4 Cortina on patrol with Lancashire Constabulary 1977/78
fleet managers, many of which were engineers and managers from the private sector who brought with them an entirely new approach; more emphasis was placed on objective testing of vehicles and more competitive procurement processes. This also resulted in an increase in the numbers of engineers attending the annual seminar and more detailed fleet issues being raised. The annual gathering became a forum where forces could share information and raise issues that were common to all police vehicle fleets.
National approach The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in 1986 approved the creation of the National Association of Police Fleet Managers (NAPFM) to provide professional advice and support to Chief Officers and the Police Service. The Wiltshire Constabulary handed over the chairmanship of the National Police Fleet Managers Conference to the NAPFM. The association’s first Chairman was Dennis Hale OBE, of the Metropolitan Police. The NAPFM decided there was a need for a professional approach to fleet procurement and realised there were potentially great benefits to police fleets working together to develop contracts for the supply of
vehicles and associated equipment. In 1994 the association established its Procurement Committee, which provided a national approach to procurement and was a means of aggregating spend from all police forces. Over 20 years on this initiative seems a ‘no brainer’ but in 1994 it was a really innovative approach and neither police nor government procurement had seen anything like it before. These early police fleet managers really should be seen as innovative and pioneering; they were challenging the status quo long before the experts and consultants researched the benefits of collaborative procurement. The NAPFM has led the route to market and contents of the vehicle purchase framework since 1992. Together the Home Office Procurement Unit and the NAPFM have built up considerable expertise in compiling specifications, letting contracts and managing frameworks thereafter over the last two decades. The NAPFM procurement strategy is, ‘To secure the best possible value for money through collaboration, standardisation and environmentally sustainable purchasing solutions for the Police Service nationally and where mutual benefit can be achieved, the wider Government Fleet’. It is a collaboration between NAPFM and the Home Office Procurement Unit (and before that NPIA and PITO), working together to reduce fleet costs by purchasing through the use of national contracts and frameworks.
Impact of the Gershon Report In 2004 Sir Peter Gershon was commissioned by the government to produce a report on the UK Police service with a brief of ‘Releasing resources to the front line, Independent Review of Public Sector Efficiency’. The report focused on two main areas: 1) to release resources into front line services; and 2) to reduce bureaucracy to allow support services to provide better support to the front line.
Bringing professionalism to procurement In the early 1970s the police fleet engineers decided to arrange a regular seminar to discuss vehicle issues, share knowledge and look for best practice across police fleets. From 1973 this became a more structured annual event held at Wiltshire Police headquarters. The 1980s saw the emergence of professional civilian
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Two Vauxhall Velox (PA model) and a Victor F type from 1957/8
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ESTNAPFM SUPPLEMENT | 27 Much work has continued between the major police vehicle manufacturers and police fleet managers to develop interfaces with new vehicle CAN bus technology to develop new solutions for the addition of police equipment to vehicles. The whole area of vehicle testing has been extended to cover interfaces with specialist electrical equipment, such as light bars, MDTs, ANPR, AVLS. Fleet managers have worked very closely with suppliers to ensure that any equipment fitted does not interfere with vehicle performance or safety.
Award winning expertise
Vauxhall Cavalier SRi 16V 1992/93
In view of this report and its findings, the 2005 vehicle procurement framework, led by NAPFM/NPIA, took on many of the recommendations of the Gershon Report. The police fleet managers felt they needed to make the procurement and ordering process easier to reduce the burden on individual force procurement and fleet managers; making the call offs less bureaucratic could achieve this. They also wanted to drive down the capital costs associated with running a police vehicle fleet, to free up cash to support front line policing.
Vauxhall E type Velox models from Lancashire Constabulary
In the previous framework there had been a large range of models available to forces whereas the new framework restricted the number of models – the first steps had been taken towards vehicle standardisation. Was the national police car on the horizon? The theory was that by reducing the number of suppliers and models across the main three categories – low, intermediate, and high performance – greater discounts could be realised. The framework was awarded with a reduced supplier base and model choice; the low and intermediate categories were awarded to two manufacturers and the high performance to three suppliers. The contract proved you could reduce the number of vehicles on offer without impacting upon operational requirements. The reduced number of suppliers meant the successful suppliers had a greater percentage share of the police vehicle market. This produced many benefits: suppliers could increase stock holdings, thus reducing lead times; and they were also able to invest in training and vehicle development. On a financial front the framework delivered additional savings of £1.5m per annum.
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Supplier innovation By restricting the number of suppliers a greater confidence developed along with a greater understanding of police requirements from these suppliers, which led to innovations. Volvo, for example, looked to develop, with the input of Police fleet engineers, a purpose built (turnkey) roads policing vehicle. BMW worked on projects such as the enabled police car. The company brought out two factory equipped enabled cars, which were supplied with ready to run factory-equipped installations to allow light bar connectivity and other police equipment. Vauxhall, or General Motors (GM), was working on its own versions of turnkey vehicles, fully equipped with a mobile office complete with cameras and IT solutions to enable officers to deal with a whole host of issues at the road side. GM was very keen to develop its range of police vehicles and came up with the strap line ‘that they don’t just convert vehicles but manufacture them individually to customer requirements’. Ford also delivered its version of a turnkey vehicle solution based upon the Ford Focus by way of its in-house SVP conversion arm.
The NAPFM received a Fleet News Platinum Award in 2005 for outstanding service to the vehicle fleet industry. This award recognised the association’s expertise in the supply of goods and services to aid fleet efficiency. To quote Fleet News at the awards presentation, “… time and time again they get it right thanks to a strong association that constantly examines Best Practice and shares experience, while its fleets are routinely inspected by government agencies”. In 2006 NAPFM/PITO received a commendation at the Government Opportunities Excellence in Public Procurement Awards – Team category. This award was for the delivery of a large procurement project, for the work in involving a range of diverse stakeholders, for delivering on time a procurement framework that met the needs of these stakeholders and, last but not least, for delivering savings to the front line. This award recognised communication, collaboration and a collective determination to deliver excellence in public services.
Police reform The year of 2008 saw yet another review into policing and the best use of resources. Sir Ronnie Flanagan’s ‘An Independent Review of Policing’ focused on police reform of working practices and processes and where help from the centre could produce results needed for change. The idea of activity-based costing was reviewed and the conclusion was this needed to be changed to focus on performance and not activity. It also discussed the need for better use of resources and set out the importance of managing resources to assist better operational policing. For procurement, the report highlighted the need to reduce duplication and to standardise processes and systems where possible. This was the first time that a force-by-force financial profile based on the same criteria was proposed.
Vauxhall Police Demonstrator, Velox Poverty, from 1965
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A 1965 Volvo 121 Amazon estate
National standard vehicle The Vehicle Purchase Framework awarded in 2010 introduced the innovation of a standard fully converted patrol car that was available to purchase direct from an awarded supplier. This was the first time that a national standard vehicle had been specified and made available for direct purchase. The significant potential savings achievable from a standardised choice of vehicles to this one specification and from the restriction of vehicle choice to a limited number of capable suppliers was acknowledged by the receipt of another procurement award. The Government Business Award for Best Central Government Procurement was awarded to the Police Vehicle Fleet Framework team for its joint work in delivering the framework. The award judges were impressed with the level of standardisation and the level of collaborative savings that could be achieved as a result. The 2010 Vehicle Purchase framework built upon the successes and knowledge gained in the previous framework to deliver the best ever government framework. It also took full credence from the recommendations and goals set by the Flanagan Report. This new framework was a class leading piece of work and established many new features. The contract looked at whole life costs, vehicle standardisation, detailed vehicle specifications, training, warranty and support, among other key factors. The 2010 Vehicle Purchase framework went further than the previous framework by delivering standardised models in the key categories of low, intermediate, and high performance. These models were: • Low performance: Vauxhall Corsa and Astra; Ford Fiesta and Focus; Hyundai I20 and I30; and Peugeot 208 and 308 • Intermediate performance: Vauxhall Astra and Insignia; and Ford Focus and Mondeo • High performance: BMW 330 and 530; Audi A4 and A6; and Volvo V70 and S80.
The framework led to the formation of eight ACPO regional buying groups; these groups ran minicompetitions with guaranteed volumes, which obtained further discounts against the terms and prices in the framework. These competitions delivered vehicle procurement savings of £3.2m per annum. Another key element of the 2010 framework was enhanced and longer vehicle warranty terms for police vehicle fleets. These improved warranties meant forces were able to introduce longer vehicle cycles, which allowed savings in capital budgets. The framework also offered a turnkey beat car for the first time. This was based upon a low performance car with half battenburg livery, light bar with 360-degree blues and rear reds, a wailer with horn ring transfer, and police radio – the national Police Beat car was more than a mirage on the horizon.
“The national police fleet procurement strategy is now a collaboration between NAPFM and the Home Office Procurement Unit (and before that NPIA and PITO), working together to reduce fleet costs by purchasing through the use of national contracts and frameworks.”
Vauxhall Omega 1990/91
Vauxhall Astra 1990/91
Example of good practice In March 2013, the National Audit Office looked at police procurement and made some significant recommendations in terms of targets. The key target was that 80 percent of police procurement should be through regional or collaborative contracts or frameworks. Police fleet managers have been buying like this for many decades and found themselves being held up as the example of good practice and the model to which others should look towards. Further recommendations focused on standardisation of requirements and provision of a standard data set with which to measure performance. Again, police fleets are leading on this through the standardisation programme and turnkey vehicles together with the national benchmarking programme led by NAPFM.
2010 Vehicle Framework achievements The Vehicle Framework awarded in 2010 was the last vehicle framework to be awarded separately from the wider public sector. The achievements can be summarised below • Eight regional collaborative groups formed • Aggregated volumes have been achieved • Savings from larger volumes have been delivered • Standardisation of requirements is close to being achieved through cooperation • High levels of supplier engagement and support are evident • Delivery of a fleet against a reducing budget • Delivery of a fleet that is smaller but leaner on resources and more efficient • Public Sector leader in police procurement practice and vehicle whole life costing.
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Ford Kuga 2014.
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Realising the benefits of vehicle standardisation Vehicle standardisation was initiated in October 2010, when Chief Constable’s Council agreed a proposal put forward by Chief Constable Mick Giannasi from Gwent Police requesting endorsement and support of establishing standardised police vehicle specifications and a single national framework for the procurement of the police vehicle fleet. Prior to this backing of Chief Constable Giannasi’s proposal, vehicle standardisation had not been progressed across the service due to the lack of ACPO direction to fleet managers. Individual fleet managers had effectively been empowered to procure a range of differing vehicles with varying specifications. Chief Constable’s Council backing meant there was now an opportunity to develop standard specifications of the high volume vehicle roles, which will ultimately lead to collaborative vehicle procurement and potentially collaborative vehicle related equipment purchases, such as light bars, livery, in car video and ANPR systems etc.
“Standardisation does not mean having a single national supplier, it means having standardised police vehicle specifications based on operational requirements.” Although police fleet managers, through their relationship with the Home Office (Formerly NPIA), have used their specialist expertise to ensure police forces have received the best solution to date and have collaborated on the base vehicles, these national specifications will enhance this work to ensure that the vehicles are fit for purpose and there is an increased risk management process in place in all forces where these specifications are adopted.
Vehicle conversion savings An opportunity also exists to make savings on the considerable amount of expenditure on vehicle conversion work that occurs after base vehicles are purchased. Currently there is an overlap of individual forces and regions producing their own frameworks for vehicle conversions and role equipment and these are not realising the potential efficiencies from national collaborative purchase. One of the barriers to this collaboration was the use of non-standard vehicles and conversions. The introduction of national specifications will also help mitigate the pressure from many areas of the police service to improve standardisation from a health and safety/legal requirement perspective. The specifications are being developed with information provided by user group/focus group meetings that were held with front line operational officers/supervisory officers from a vast number of UK
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forces. They were then distributed to all forces’ fleet/transport managers, who also consulted with their operational departments, for comment, and also to the relevant ACPO leads for distribution and comments back from their operational colleagues. Standardisation does not mean having a single national supplier, it means having standardised police vehicle specifications based on operational requirements. By producing specifications that are fit for purpose and agreed by all interested parties it will ensure that the procurement process is directed from within the service, based on knowledge, experience, role profiles and tactical requirements. These agreed specifications will also allow for local adaptations to be made to accommodate special local needs/requirements.
Reducing the risk Once a force adopts these new specifications this new process should provide them with peace of mind that their force is doing as much as possible to reduce both risk and legal challenge in respect of the vehicles they operate. Therefore, the National Association of Police
Fleet Managers (NAPFM) is trying to encourage all forces to utilise these specifications as and when they are issued and to collaborate on vehicle purchases and conversions with relevant force partners, whether regionally or nationally. There may be reasons for some vehicles to meet specific local policing requirements but this comes at a cost and over the next few years the budget cuts will make this a luxury that police services cannot afford. It will become more and more necessary to identify true business need as opposed to local desires and begin to realise cashable savings by standardisation and aggregation. This process requires engagement with operational leads and for them to challenge existing practices and support the need for standardisation. Work is well advanced on delivering the first three national vehicle standardised roles, which are: Protected Personnel Carrier (PPC), Dog vehicle and Cell vehicle. It is hoped that these will be closely followed by national standardised specifications for the general liveried patrol car, liveried patrol motorcycle, and a liveried traffic car.
Example: the Protected Personnel Carrier When purchasing a Protected Personnel Carrier (PPC), many police forces buy the same base vehicle but then convert it to meet their local force requirements at varying expense (a fully converted vehicle approximately £65,000). However, there is no nationally agreed specification of how the vehicle should be converted, what equipment it should carry and the levels of protection it should provide for officers. This results in many variations of PPC with varying levels of protection, different equipment carried, different numbers of seats and officers, differing costs, different life cycles, and interoperability of the vehicles varies greatly. A national specification for the role of PPC would not only deliver financial savings on procurement and conversion but significant operational benefits, especially in a mutual aid scenario. Role requirements The Demand Management model being used for this piece of work sets out the processes to be followed to deliver a standardised, fully enabled vehicle at the end. The first step is engagement with the users to establish the exact role requirements. This involves consultation
with operational officers and other stakeholders and business areas; once completed this is signed off by the client group. This may result in more than one role as in some cases urban and rural forces may have differing policing requirements. This has to be a delicate balance as minimising the number of role specification risks losing local identity and specific needs, where as having more role specifications reduces the benefits of standardisation. These role specifications can then be worked on by professional fleet managers to ensure the appropriate technical specifications and requirements are in place, such as braking performance, weight capacity, vehicle handling etc. The process will then produce a final specification document, which covers the role and vehicle requirements. This can then be used by a group of forces to procure a number of fully converted vehicles through the national vehicle procurement framework. This approach will simplify the procurement process across forces and deliver savings on vehicle conversions; ultimately this could lead to a national procurement hub for vehicles.
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The new police vehicle purchase framework The new vehicle purchase framework (RM1070) has been let by Crown Commercial Service (CCS), working closely with the Home Office and the National Association of Police Fleet Managers, as part of a wider contract across government . The new arrangement benefits from the efficiencies of large-scale collaborative procurement, but protects the unique needs and brand value of policing.
Skoda Octavia 2014.
The collaboration with CCS for the new framework highlights how the police fleet sector is able to explore new opportunities and change its model for delivery where appropriate. The new framework allows access to the facility to take part in e-auctions for the first time on a national scale. The ability to purchase vehicles that are then financed on a lease with real-time leasing rates is also available should this be required.
Blue light lots The new framework has specific blue light lots, which will enable forces and other emergency services to purchase new vehicles with enhanced specifications. This preserves what is unique about the police and emergency services market while aggregating spend with other government departments. Police forces spend around £100m per year on new vehicles and CCS estimates that savings of around £8m will be achievable through using the new framework. Based upon a recent evidence gathering exercise the NAPFM believes significant additional savings could be
realised if forces signed up to the national specifications currently being finalised. There are many benefits from using the blue light lots in the new framework, which include: • Enhanced warranty terms of at least 36months/100k miles • Liquidated Damages are available • Original Equipment Parts are available • Vehicle handling and emission testing is available if requested • Blue light training for technicians • One stop shop conversions are available • Supply of liveried demonstrator vehicles.
Driving greater savings To drive good value for money, evaluation of the mini-competitions within the new framework is based on whole life costs as opposed to solely purchase price. This is a tried and tested methodology and recognises that purchase price is around 30 percent of the whole life cost. It is also worth remembering that the majority of the remaining whole life costs, such as fuel, servicing and repairs, will be spent in the local force area and hence contributes to the local economy. The motor industry is a complex global industry and the UK is still at the heart of this, although the structure of who and how it employs people has changed. Despite the perceptions, several manufacturers on the current vehicle framework do manufacture in this country and those that do not still employ a large number of people to support their brand through a dealership network and head offices.
Blue Light Lot awarded suppliers on the new framework • Lot 7 Blue Light Cars & 4x4 Vehicles: Audi UK, BMW (UK) Ltd, Ford Motor Company Ltd, General Motors UK Ltd t/a Vauxhall Motors, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor UK Ltd, Mercedes-Benz UK Ltd, Peugeot Motor Company Plc., Seat, Skoda Auto, Volkswagen UK, Volvo Car UK Ltd • Lot 8 Blue Light Vans: Ford Motor Company Ltd, General Motors UK Ltd t/a Vauxhall Motors, MercedesBenz UK Ltd, Peugeot Motor Company Plc., Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles • Lot 9 Blue Light Motorcycles: BMW (UK) LTD, Honda Motor Europe, Kawasaki Motors UK, Yamaha Motor (UK) Ltd
Under the former national contract, significant savings on the framework price were being realised. This was based on using buying groups formed at ACPO region level. We now have an opportunity to create more sophisticated buying group arrangements based on common requirements that would increase purchase volumes and drive greater savings. This will lead to the formation of larger buying groups procuring a narrower range of models. There is no reason why for some categories, such as liveried patrol motorcycles, a single national mini competition exercise could not be undertaken.
Larger buying groups
Ford Focus (left) and Ford Transit 2013.
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Work is ongoing with NAPFM, the Home Office and the National Policing lead to exploit the potential to aggregate volumes, reduce the variety of models, and achieve greater savings. Discussions are already taking place among police fleet managers to agree vehicle specifications and to build these larger buying groups. It is important to build on the initiative and creativity that has gone into these discussions and it makes sense to coordinate and align proposed ideas to optimise the ability for all forces to access the best opportunities for savings.
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“The new framework has specific blue light lots, which will enable forces and other emergency services to purchase vehicles with enhanced specifications.” The proposed approach The proposed approach involves asking police forces for their vehicle purchase plans so that a national demand summary across the different vehicle categories can be determined. The NAPFM would then design a category strategy that considered a range of areas, including the optimum buying group size, lead force considerations, duration of contract, market management opportunities, timing of purchase and procurement route (e.g. e-auction). Based on the proposals within the category strategies, a national mini-competition plan would be shared and at that stage, hopefully in early February 2015, when forces would be asked for their commitment to purchase. Unlike the previous vehicle purchase framework, the Home Office does not mandate the use of the new
BMW 530d Touring 2012.
framework for police vehicle purchases. However, as the vehicle market operates at a global scale significant additional discounts will be possible if forces can aggregate volumes sufficiently by working together. Therefore the aim is that a mandate is not needed as the
framework will offer the best value due to the larger volumes being purchased and the leverage from the market positioning of the largest and only route to market for the majority of large public sector vehicle purchases.
Procurement of vehicle equipment across government National frameworks available for blue light fleets in addition to the vehicle purchase framework, which accounts for roughly half of police fleet spend, are shown in the table below.
Equipment type
Spend per annum
Emergency Warning Equipment £1.5m Disposal framework £10m (sales) Supply of Vehicle Glass £1.1m Oils and Lubricants (led by GMP) £700,000 Supply & Fit of Tyres RM955 £8m Supply of Fuel Cards (led by CCS) £80m
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Increasingly, the contracts and frameworks are being broadened to include other emergency services such as fire and rescue, and ambulance services. In addition, some of the frameworks that have been developed with the Crown Commercial Service are open to all of the public sector including both Central Government and the Wider Public Sector. This is in line with the Government’s demands for wider procurement across government and the adoption of each individual framework to cover the entire government vehicle fleet: • The tyre framework was awarded as a result of a collaboration between CCS (formerly Office of Government Commerce) with NAPFM and the Home Office. By using a new methodology the tender process was able to satisfy the desire for one Government tyre contract while still providing a unique police specific category
• More recently, the Call off instigated by NAPFM from the new fuel cards framework included fire and rescue as a full partner in the process • Looking ahead, the planned vehicle telematics framework will be open to ambulance services and fire and rescue services. It is estimated that these nationally operated frameworks and contracts will have saved local procurement departments more than £2.5m over the life of these frameworks.
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Cross service collaboration and partnership Cross service collaboration and partnership is becoming increasingly common across the emergency services, especially in areas such as vehicle specification, vehicle maintenance and shared fleets, as the sector looks at ways to realise economies of scale. Furthermore, the increased use of in vehicle technology to communicate from car to base and to provide vehicle use and operational data is another potential gateway to future efficiencies. The Home Office/NAPFM procurement contracts have been open to other emergency services for several years, but increasingly discussions are taking place around specification on new contracts. For example, the recent mini-competition for the supply of fuel cards was based upon a specification drawn up by the NAPFM and the fire and rescue service. This exercise combined the
buying power of the two organisations and delivered enhanced benefits for both services over the terms offered in the original CCS framework. There is also an increase in the number of forces collaborating with fire and ambulance Services in the areas of vehicle maintenance – more shared workshop facilities in which multi-agency vehicles are being worked on, thus reducing overheads for each service. There has also been a growth in force collaborations in back office functions, which have seen an increase in shared fleet or vehicle maintenance service functions. Recent collaborations include Kent and Essex, West Mercia and Warwickshire, and the largest of all collaborations taking place north of the border in the formation of Police Scotland.
Vehicle technology
Vauxhall Ampera Hybrid Electric Range Extender 2012.
For the future, the NAPFM is looking at new vehicle technology. Vehicle telematics with live data links to Force Control Rooms independent of officers’ radio
links will allow better deployment and faster response times, but also allow the smaller fleet to be used effectively. This should save time wasted on needless journeys and in turn save money via a reduction in mileage covered. NAPFM and ACPO, assisted by the Home Office CAST team, are working on a system of standard vehicle architecture, which could lead in future to technological based savings. New vehicle fuel technology, such as electric and hybrid vehicles, together with downsized engines powered by traditional diesel and petrol, should lead to better whole life cost models as these technologies mature and the cost of fuel rises. A further benefit is a fall in the police fleets CO2 output over the years by millions of tonnes. The development of dual role vehicles has allowed some fleets to downsize the number of vehicles that they run and this has had cost savings and allowed the progress towards the cost saving target for the police to be reached in a year on year basis.
Leading from the front Police fleets have achieved the seemingly impossible task of increasing value for money and at the same time maintaining a highly responsive and well managed fleet across all forces with different needs and priorities. The newly stated target of 80 percent of procurement to be from centralised deals is something that police fleets adopted years ago. They are accustomed to leading from the front. The benefits of collaboration and standardisation are part of the culture of fleet led by NAPFM and supported by the Home Office and now CCS.
“The benefits of collaboration and standardisation are part of the culture of fleet led by NAPFM and supported by the Home Office and now CCS.” This has been achieved in a challenging environment and against a backdrop of political changes and a stringent outlook for funding. The fact it has been achieved at all is testament to the hard work and collaborative efforts of all concerned.
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The association and its membership continue to develop and seek innovative fleet solutions through quality performance management, best value, and national procurement collaboration with its colleagues and partners in the other emergency services. Only through constant re-evaluation can police fleet managers continue to deliver an emergency response fleet that is truly world leading. Chair of the National Association of Police Fleet Managers, and Head of Transport for Surrey and Sussex Police, Dennis Ord, summarised the association’s commitment to work with all partners to develop ways of managing down the costs of operating police fleets while maintaining and meeting the demands of the 24/7 response services, when he said, “Since I became Chair in 2013, the full impact of the funding gap is now beginning to affect all emergency services, not just police; it is reassuring to see that the locally appointed Police and Crime Commissioners have in the main supported investment in police fleets, despite the financial challenges. However, increased financial and operational pressures have seen more and more police, fire and ambulance services looking to collaborate and in some instances fully integrate their transport functions to reduce the unit cost of operation. Working
Vauxhall Antara 2011.
together, NAPFM, the Home Office and CCS together with emergency services colleagues have put in place national collaborative contracts, including but not limited to fuel, fuel cards, vehicles and spares. In my opinion these contracts are an essential component in reducing these costs and increase interoperability. “It has given me great pleasure to see the way members of NAPFM, and our emergency services colleagues, have gripped the opportunity to work together both locally and nationally to meet the challenges we are all facing, none of which have a simple solution, and I am confident that the momentum we are building will enable us to create an efficient, cost effective and sustainable emergency services transport function across the UK.”
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Cobra cold cutting system adapted into more portable solution Innovative fire fighting equipment, supplied and integrated by Primetech, which uses a high-pressure hose to blast straight through brick walls and tackle major blazes on the other side, has now been taken into service and launched by Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service. The Cobra cold cutting system, normally fitted within conventional fire appliances, has been adapted by Primetech’s design and engineering team for use in a more portable configuration within smaller, faster and more versatile vehicles, such as Cumbria FRS’s Land Rover.
Fight fires from outside Once firefighters have identified the location of a fire inside a building using infra-red technology, the Cobra cold cutting unit on the Cobra Intervention Vehicle (CIV) then uses a lance to shoot a powerful jet of water loaded with an abrasive cutting substance to blast a 1.3mm thumbnail-sized hole in the wall. Water is then injected through the hole as a high-pressure mist to absorb the heat and gases from the fire. The system can reduce the heat in the fire area from 700°C to 80°C in just 40 seconds. It allows firefighters to tackle fires from outside rather than entering a burning building, and the instant dowsing reduces the risk explosions of fire. The system instantly limits the spread of a fire and gives the incident commander more time to plan operations.
Full evaluation The new vehicle will initially be deployed in the Barrow area, while a full evaluation is conducted in both training and operational environments, prior to the equipment being fitted to newly commissioned fire appliances. Henry Walker, Technical Director for Primetech, said, “We are delighted to have been able to support Cumbria FRS with this new Cobra Intervention Vehicle. The birth of this mini appliance shows that innovative and cost effective new methods of fire fighting can be introduced that protect public safety and firefighters’ lives.”
www.primetech.co.uk
A portable Cobra unit from Primetech within a Cumbria FRS Cobra Intervention Vehicle.
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Protecting frontline personnel with specialist clothing The feeling of being well protected and secure against the many hazards faced in frontline emergency services work is vital to the round-the-clock response asked of our firefighters, paramedics and police officers. The increasing complexity of emergency response work, and the associated ever widening range of attendant risks, has, in recent years, put the product design and development skills and inventiveness of PPE manufacturers to the test. Words: Philip Tasker, UK Sales Director, Bristol Uniforms Given the nature of frontline operational conditions faced by firefighters, special response ambulance teams, air ambulance crews and public order crowd control (POCC) police, which can, and often do, involve prolonged activity in difficult and hazardous environments, the impact of the wearer’s own body is often as important as the external risks when weighing up the levels of protection needed alongside the ergonomics of the protective clothing provided.
Improved protection Emergency services PPE design, and levels of protection, have advanced significantly over the past 15 years as new fabrics have allowed improved all round protection while reducing the physiological load on the wearer. However, the readiness to adopt improved designs has varied considerably between the different services. There is little doubt that fire and rescue services have adopted the most progressive attitude towards trialling and adopting new structural and technical rescue garments, which provide greater wearer comfort and improved protection and compatibility between different head-to-toe garments. HART ambulance technical rescue PPE.
Police POCC protective garment.
Multi-agency technical rescue With the increasing deployment of multi-agency teams in response scenarios such as technical rescue operations, in which two, or three, emergency services are called to the scene, the combined hazards of heat and flame, as well exposure to contaminated water, hydrocarbon, chemical, asbestos and pathogen contamination have created the need for special operations paramedics to be better protected working in hot zones. Ten years ago, this trend initiated the development, by Bristol, of prototype technical rescue garments, which led to the introduction of HART (Hazardous Area Response Team) protective clothing to specialist teams across the UK.
Greater comfort The benefits of the HART garments have, more recently, created a growing interest among air ambulances for better protection for their response crews. The familiar helicopter air ambulance crews, often comprising a pilot, two paramedics and a doctor, are increasingly being equipped with specially designed PPE to replace basic coveralls. Providing improved physical protection, the single-layer Nomex® coverall is designed by Bristol to offer greater comfort, more knee protection as well as hem closure wrist straps and leg zip closures.
Head-to-toe protection
Greater attention has been paid to improving garment sizing, which has led to the introduction of a much wider range of sizes for men as well as a complete range of sizes for women, who would previously have often been required to wear either male sizes or poorly adapted kit. Improved materials availability has also meant that twopiece garments, particularly appropriate for women, can now be used instead of coveralls with Velcro or zip fastenings, allowing coats and trousers to be joined where needed. Innovations, such as the XFlex™ Layered Garment, recently introduced by Bristol, allows for the use of either two or three garments to provide, in different combinations, all the appropriate EN standard requirements instead of the usual six used separately for structural and wildland fire fighting and technical rescue/USAR.
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Well into the 21st Century, however, the police have appeared less willing to embrace the benefits of improved design and greater comfort and convenience offered by advanced POCC PPE, which has been available for around 10 years, and frequently continue to rely on heavier, one-piece garments. More advanced garments provide improved protection and reduced physiological load on officers deployed to manage crowd control, public disorder or riot situations. For officers faced with attack from violent crowds using various types of missiles, including fire bombs, fully compatible head-to-toe protection is essential. Comprehensive protection, such as that now available from Bristol, includes a two-piece ensemble, available in either a one- or two-layer construction, in a range of sizes for both men and women, overcoming the major disadvantages of traditional one-piece coveralls. The two-piece garment zips together, providing a continuous front seal, and is available with fully compatible tactical boots, helmet, gloves, flame retardant underwear, hood, necktube and special body protectors. The single layer garment uses a Hainsworth TITAN1250 fabric and is certified to HOSDB Standard. The two-layer option incorporates a Hainsworth TITAN1241 fabric with a Gore-Tex® riot liner. Both garment types are BS7971-10:2004 compliant.
“High levels of protection provided by PPE can only be assured as long as the garments retain their original protective qualities.” Managed services High levels of protection provided by PPE can only be assured as long as the garments retain their original protective qualities. Managed services are now routinely adopted by the fire and rescue services across the UK and, through the regular inspection, repair, washing and decontamination of garments, ideally provided through in-house specialist facilities of the original garment manufacturer, ensure that their integrity is fully maintained. This facility has the added benefit of extending the life of garments, thereby reducing lifetime cost of ownership. While the ambulance service has increasingly recognised the benefits of managed services, the police service has been much slower to adopt maintenance programmes resulting, quite frequently, Air in the ambulance premature disposal of aircrew otherwise flying serviceable PPE. suits.
www.bristoluniforms.com
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Gore’s unwavering commitment to quality, performance and comfort Gore’s specialist high performance technical fabrics have been setting new standards for the protection of emergency responders around the world since the company’s first introduction to the fire and rescue service over 25 years ago. In that time, the company has become a global leader in all of the diverse market sectors in which it operates as a result of a unique corporate culture that encourages entrepreneurship and innovation, backed by sound research and development. Gore associates are experts in their field and have a detailed understanding about the environment in which a garment will be worn, taking into account the way it will be worn and all the environmental factors that may affect comfort and protection.
Reliability critical Gore products are often employed where performance and reliability are critical – whether in the human body, in an engineering plant, on the fireground, on Mount Everest, or in outer space. The company is steadfastly committed to standing behind the reliability of every product, in every application. That commitment is backed by robust research and development programmes in support of every product. The introduction of Gore’s high performance technical fabrics created a durable layer in high performance PPE that keeps the wearer dry by preventing water from entering the garment but allows perspiration to evaporate through the membrane to the outside environment. This minimises the build up of moisture inside the garment and in more extreme conditions, which are often experienced by emergency responders, reduces the risk of heat stress.
Stringent testing Gore fabrics undergo the most extensive and stringent testing regimes, which is just one of the reasons why they consistently outperform alternative products. The company’s own test labs are comparable to those used in many of the independent institutes and in many cases the company has developed specific test methods where previously no standardised tests existed. From the start of the testing process every aspect of the product’s real world use is examined in detail to inform the design and engineering process. It is important that protective clothing is functional and comfortable, so Gore designers will advise manufacturers on potential innovations, such as special closures or waterproof collar solutions. All Gore technical fabrics comfortably exceed international PPE performance standards. They
maintain that level of performance thanks to outstanding resistance to wear and abrasion and the ability to consistently retain high breathability and waterproofness after exposure to extreme cold and heat. Gore products are renowned for their consistently reliable thermal stability.
“Protective fabrics that are fundamental to the protection of emergency responders today.” Commitment to quality Gore’s world famous durably waterproof and breathable moisture barriers, GORE-TEX® and CROSSTECH® Fabrics, protect emergency responders every day across the Americas, Australasia, Europe and the Middle East. It is a success story that is the result of the deepest commitment to quality, which starts with the promise that ‘Our products will do what we say they will do’. If your risk assessment has identified a specific risk from blood borne pathogens, then CROSSTECH® Fabrics will deliver the solution, while keeping the responders dry and protected from heat and flame.
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
CROSSTECH® Fabrics far exceed competitive products in test laboratories and in the field. The family of CROSSTECH® Products also includes CROSSTECH® Products with AIRLOCK® Spacer Technology, to create an insulating air cushion. The result is a garment that is around 20 percent lighter, creating greater freedom of movement for the wearer. CROSSTECH® Fabric is used in structural fire fighting ensembles and specialised urban search and rescue suits as well as boots and gloves. If your risk assessment has not identified blood borne pathogens as a specific risk for your responders then the range of GORE-TEX® Fabrics will provide a durable, waterproof, breathable solution that delivers protection far in excess of laboratory test standards to meet the wearer’s needs. GORE-TEX® Fabric is also available in the AIRLOCK® Spacer Technology variant.
Research, innovation and quality Gore’s unique approach combines research, innovation and an unwavering commitment to quality that has resulted in protective fabrics that are fundamental to the protection of emergency responders today, setting the benchmark in their class. Gore Technical Fabrics deliver an unbeatable combination of proven performance, durability and comfort that firefighters trust.
www.gore.com
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Trent ST service boots put to the test along rough coastlines and finding my way across industrial sites – all of which have their own challenges when it comes to safety. Not knowing where I can end up, I need to be confident that my boots will be suitably slip resistant, comfortable and offer impact protection.” Gary makes it clear that his boots need to comply with standard health and safety regulation; however working in and around aircraft also presents its own challenges. Boots should offer protection to the lower leg and ankle in the event of aircraft accidents and emergency exit.
Innovative design Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Trust (KSSAAT) personnel work hard to save the lives of others 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The need for staff to wear comfortable and protective footwear is vital to ensure that they can concentrate on the job in hand and prevent accidents and injuries to themselves. Since the first air-cushioned boot was created over 50 years ago, Dr. Martens has worked closely with organisations within the emergency service industry. This relationship is still going strong and through listening to feedback from its customers, the company has recently launched a new service boot into its industrial collection. The new Trent ST service boot incorporates the latest design technology and has been purpose made to provide high-level safety and comfort. The new design incorporates a rubber outsole providing heat resistance of up to 300°C for 60 seconds, while the cushioned foot-bed also provides shock absorbing properties. As standard, the boots are fully waterproof, offer excellent slip resistance and include a safety toecap.
Boots put to the test Dr. Martens invited Gary Wareham, Operational Support Manager at KSSAAT, to trial a pair of the Trent ST boots and offer his feedback on the new designs. Gary said, “Working in an operational support role, I find myself working in a variety of environments and weather conditions, such as wet and windy motorways,
On receiving his pair of the Trent ST boots, Gary was impressed by their overall look, durability and quality feel. He said, “One design feature that particularly stood out was the incorporation of side zip to aid quick donning and doffing. Once on, the boots did feel very new, however they took very little time to wear in. In fact I soon forgot that the boots were on my feet.”
Superior slip resistance combined with comfort Combined with falls, slips and trips are responsible for more than half of all major (56%) and almost a third of over-seven day (31%) injuries to employees1. With slips and trips the single most common cause of major injury in UK workplaces, footwear with added slip resistance is highly desirable. Gary found that, “The Trent ST boots gripped well and felt very secure. The foot-bed is made out of a softer material than others I have tried, making the boot particularly comfortable.”
www.drmartens.com/industrial ¹ Source: HSE - Slips & trips and falls from height in Great Britain, 2013
Boots built to last SP Services has been delivering quality products at affordable prices for over 25 years, supplying everything you need in an emergency, from a single pack of plasters to the latest defibrillators and ECGs. As well as market leading medical products, the company also provides many sought after industry renowned brands, such as Tracerlite. Tracerlite boots have earned an enviable reputation among the ambulance, blue light, security, health and safety services for being able to perform in the toughest environments, providing quality lightweight workwear that is built to last. It is this pedigree of a tough, well
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designed boot, combined with essential comfort and a true eco build that makes Tracerlite footwear essential for any professional, whatever the environment.
Comfortable PPE is skin deep We all dislike the feeling of being hot, sticky and smelly in turnout gear with nothing beating a hot shower after a call out. We all seek ways to be more comfortable. If comfort is the lack of discomfort, how can comfort be improved? The answer to this question is intrinsically linked to our skin. Skin, our largest and most sensory organ, signals discomfort. The choice of fabric worn against the skin will determine your comfort levels and, even more importantly, will influence your sense of well-being and operational effectiveness. Armadillo Merino® specialises in comfortable next-to-skin clothing for professionals working in high-risk environments. By buffering your body with a layer of Armadillo Merino® clothing you’ll immediately enhance your levels of comfort, protection and performance, whatever the conditions. Armadillo Merino® clothing is: soft, light and stretchy against the skin; thermo-regulates your skin in both hot and cold environments; actively manages sweat – no more cold clammy skin; safer – no melt, no drip properties with flame resistance up to 600°C; and odourless.
www.armadillomerino.com
Function and fit The boots are made with function and fit in mind and to the lightest possible weight specification while featuring an array of features: ultra-lightweight; SRC compliant for anti-slip properties; water resistant or water proof; multi-directional toe traction; heel anchor zone; anti slip zone sole; ladder grip zone; composite safety toe; easy access side zips; thermal slip resistant outsole; composite shank midsole; plus the European Eco Label on all models.
www.spservices.co.uk
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A fitting way to provide police uniform There are few images more iconic than that of a police officer in uniform; for a lot of people it’s a symbol of authority and respect. But in the UK the myriad of uniform styles, from Land's End to John O’Groats, creates unnecessary confusion for the public. At a time where we have to make significant savings, it makes little financial sense for each force to contract and maintain their own individual uniform stocks. The National Uniform Managed Service (NUMS) will deliver a standard uniform differentiated by insignia. Over the last few months work has been progressing on NUMS, a project that aims to establish a standardised UK police uniform provided by a centrally managed, nationally consolidated supplier who will deliver benefits through the supply chain. Paul Butcher, a Director of Strategic Procurement in the Met, said, “We're in a good position; NUMS can really benefit policing, being an enabler to standardising uniform helping to establish a clear police identity whilst delivering greater value for money in the current financial climate.”
Looking to the market The process to identify a supplier started back in November 2013 when a Prior Information Notice was issued to the market inviting suppliers to express their interest in helping revolutionise the delivery of the critical service. A procurement process was launched early in 2014. Following completion of the Pre-Qualification stage (PQQ) six companies were shortlisted for the invitation to tender (ITT) stage, which commenced in December 2014. In January 2015, a bidders day was held in London where the shortlisted bidders had the opportunity to talk to the project team and users, as well as a networking event where bidders had the opportunity to meet with existing MPS suppliers.
Getting it right Liz Church, a Service Lead for NUMS representing the Met Police, said, “I am extremely excited to be trialling the ‘Dynamic Ordering Platform’ that will allow officers to order uniform and some personal protective equipment simply and efficiently – which will help in reducing extraction times.” The platform will eventually allow individual forces and other customers’ service requirements to be built in and managed by the overarching NUMS contract.
The NUMS team is preparing an engagement programme to present the managed service to all potential customers. This will include a structured plan to enable customers to join the NUMS contract post commencement in April 2016.
What’s next? Formal tenders will be submitted shortly and will be evaluated by the project team. The contract is expected to be formally awarded to a supplier in autumn 2015, after which date the official NUMS supplier will gather data and engage with forces/other customers to establish a transition plan for the new service. The national NUMS project board and Uniform Working Group are already in place to ensure regular and consistent communication and engagement with all forces. It is envisaged that these groups will continue throughout the contract term as the support mechanism to standardisation and achieving the goal of a standard UK police uniform. “We are looking forward to more forces joining NUMS,” says Paul Butcher. “Our goal is to share the benefits nationally and by acting as one intelligent customer instead of individual customers we will be able to drive innovation whilst improving cost and service.”
www.met.police.uk
New opportunities for Ballyclare 2014 was a year of unprecedented growth and expansion for Ballyclare Limited, one of the UK's leading providers of protective clothing and equipment to the emergency services, military, transport and construction industries. Taken into private hands at the beginning of 2013 the business sits on a strong financial footing and is staffed by an extremely dedicated and knowledgeable team of people, whose combined experience is unrivalled in the industry.
Since then Ballyclare has gone from strength to strength, underpinned by the core values of trust, protection and integrity. The purchase of the Lion firefighter business in January 2014 from LHD Group signalled the company’s intention to remain a major force in the development and supply of PPE. The amalgamation of Lion’s existing facilities also added two more care and maintenance centres, in Uxbridge and Livingston, to Ballyclare’s existing operations in Stockport and Barnsley, providing further resources to service major contracts across all its core markets.
New dimension Further restructuring in July 2014 saw the Ballyclare business joined by Simon Jersey, a leading manufacturer of corporate wear, and Logistik Unicorp. This has added a new dimension to Ballyclare’s offering in the emergency services sector, particularly for the supply of uniforms and station wear. Ballyclare supplies the Ministry of Defence with highly complex aircrew flying suits, the Ministry of Justice with public order suits for the prison service and the police with a range of technical PPE, clothing and public order garments. It supplies hi vis and uniform garments to the ambulance sector and hi-vis technical clothing to the rail, aggregates and highways sectors. It is also one of the main suppliers of structural fire fighting and rescue kit to the UK fire and rescue service.
Improving efficiency In the South East and Eastern fire regions the framework agreement awarded in 2010 is going from strength to strength, attracting additional fire and rescue
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services up and down the country. At the heart of this agreement is the option to choose Ballyclare’s fully managed service – a turnkey solution that takes safety to a new level.
Maintaining garments Ballyclare will take on the responsibility for laundering and maintaining the garments and making sure they are fit for purpose and comply with health and safety standards. They will maintain the exacting quality control and product management procedures that allow every garment to be tracked and traced and finally decommissioned. This is helping fire and rescue services to cut costs and improve efficiencies by taking advantage of a complete support package that covers testing, sizing, fitting, supply and personnel management.
www.ballyclarelimited.com
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A giant leap forward in fabric technology Kermel, the European manufacturer of textile innovations made from its flame resistant fibres, has recently launched several new concepts. The most recent generation of fire suits for firefighters in France, with improved thermal and mechanical performance, feature a design adapted to the unique operational needs of the firefighter and take into account the collection and recycling of garments at their end-of-life. A new generation of stationwear has also been developed, working directly with end-users, which features stretch fabrics for improved High comfort, ease of movement and design. visibility Many solutions have also been Kermel Textreme designed for industrial workers, suit. specifically adapted to the needs of end-users depending on the climate constraints or international standards: coveralls, parkas, jumpers, shirts, jackets and trousers. The fabrics include: Kermel® Alpha fabrics in France; Kermel LCI or Kermel K-Durashield® for hot and humid countries; Kermel X-Flash® for protection against electric arc; and high visibility Kermel Textreme.
accidents to the collapse of a building; the response personnel need a light weight, high visibility, inherently non-flammable PPE solution. Together with its partners, Kermel has developed and patented a specific fabric combining multi-protection with high visibility and adapted to two types of climate: moderate or hot. The fabrics are available in 240gsm or in 320gsm, and in three colours: high visibility orange, high visibility red and high visibility yellow. They are appropriate for industrial laundering according to the standard ISO 15797. These fabrics are the result of considerable research and development at the company – a process that is ongoing – to ensure that Kermel continues to deliver the most advanced fabrics for the protection of industrial, emergency service and military personnel.
www.kermel.com
High-visibility fabrics Kermel’s new high-visibility fabrics meet the requirements of international standards, such as Protective Clothing against Heat and Flames (EN ISO 11612), High-visibility (EN 471), Electrostatic properties of protective clothing (EN 1149), Protective Clothing against thermal hazards of electric arc (IEC 61482), Protective Clothing against liquid chemicals (EN ISO 13034), and Protective Clothing for use in welding and allied processes (EN ISO 11611). Combining all these properties is a giant leap forward in technology. It is widely recognised that the modern day firefighter requires specialised protective clothing for different hazard environments. From road traffic
Versatile headwear is more than just a headband BUFF® headwear is incredibly useful, extremely versatile and one of the most comfortable pieces of headwear you could own. BUFF® products can be worn as a scarf, cap, bandana, mask, balaclava or helmet liner. In fact, they can be worn in more than 12 different positions covering your neck or nose, as a headband, covering your entire head or even to wear under a helmet to absorb perspiration. This makes them an ideal headwear accessory for wearing in a wide range of jobs and perfect for different weather conditions. The BUFF® Professional range is designed specifically for the workwear market and is dedicated to the protection of workers in many different environments. These unique products offer protection from cold, wind and fire. They are seamless and hem free to avoid skin irritation or abrasion.
Customise your products BUFF® Professional products can be customised in three different ways: customised silk-screened sticker printed with your company/organisation logo or name; fully customised with your own design, print or pattern; or dyed to a colour of your specification. Lyon Equipment Limited is the sole distributor of BUFF® Professional products in the UK and Ireland. Kermel offers a large wide of FR textile solutions for industrial workers. Photo: Fotolia
www.lyon.co.uk
Advanced firefighter glove ensures MAX performance Vimpex, a specialist supplier of emergency services equipment for over 20 years, has launched a new advanced firefighter glove. The FX-1 MAX represents the latest development in fire fighting gloves in recent years and uses in its construction PBI MAX, a strong and flexible outer shell fabric. A unique solution to firefighter hand protection, FX-1 MAX gloves feature pre-curved fingers and hand shape offering unmatched dexterity and fit while delivering extremely high levels of protection against radiant and
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contact heat, mechanical protection and cut/abrasion resistance. Thanks to their construction from PBI MAX, which has three times the filament rip stopping power of other fabrics, FX-1 MAX offers the firefighter an ideal replacement to leather gloves. The gloves also avoid the stretching associated with leather as well as the danger of rapid shrinkage in high heat. Fingertips, inner fingers and palm areas are protected with high strength silicone coated Kevlar® reinforcement to further enhance the FX-1 MAX
performance during fire fighting. Another significant advantage of the FX-1 MAX glove is the fact that it can be laundered along with the rest of the turnout gear.
www.rescue-tools.co.uk
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The complete supplier... Sioen, Europe’s largest manufacturer of weatherproof and multi-functional protective garments, is vertically integrated, supplying garments made from its own fabrics, in its own factories. This enables the company to have full control of the quality of the end product, thus ensuring greatest durability and best full life costings. Its range of products is vast, with over 1.3 million garments stocked at its European distribution depot in Belgium. Sioen has a vast Industrial range of rainwear, hi-vis, chemical, agricultural and food industry clothing available from stock. The company also offers bespoke manufacture for the emergency services sector, supplying operations tops, fleece and soft shell, waterproof, breathable and hi-vis garments for the police and ambulance sectors. A new range of hi-tech ambulance/paramedics garments is available from stock. The range includes jackets, bombers, body warmers, soft shell, polo shirts (in hi-vis and green), poly-cotton trousers and a special four-way stretch comfort hi-vis cargo trouser. Sioen’s emergency services ranges are complemented by offerings to niche sectors.
Vidal Protection delivers fire intervention suits and stationwear to most countries in Europe.
SAT (Sioen Armour Technology) is a leading manufacturer of covert and overt body armoursupplying fully certified armours to NIJ and HOSDB standards to police, ambulance, transport, security, military and tactical squads. Special amphibious armours have also been developed for different countries. SIP Protection is a market leader in chain saw protection, supplying tree surgeons, climbers, fire departments, utilities and rescue organisations throughout the world.
Specialist RTC gloves
Mullion Manufacturing supplies safety at sea products, including life jackets and survival suits to rescue services and coastguards around the world. The company has a reputation for making quality garments and life jackets for the offshore commercial market. Mullion has developed into a leading manufacturer of ‘smart’ life jackets, which incorporate Man Over Board beacon technology for enhanced safety of staff. The company has worked with coastguards throughout Europe to develop hybrid rescue vests, such as the Seaforce vest with asymmetrical lifejacket.
Bennett Safetywear Ltd, the Liverpool-based manufacturer of high performance hand protection, has recently added the Extricator® Plus model to its range of lightweight technical rescue/RTC gloves. Designed in conjunction with UK fire and rescue services, the Extricator® range affords maximum protection against mechanical hazards while retaining dexterity essential for intricate work. Manufactured from a combination of high performance materials, including a tough durable water-repellent outer, Keprotec® reinforced palm and fingertips and a padded knuckle bar, all models in the Extricator® range are fully certified to the maximum obtainable performance levels (4.5.4.4.) according to EN388. Fully lined with a comfortable lightweight aramid composite fabric, the Plus version offers all-round Level 5 cut-protection. For enhanced protection the Extricator® Max model has the same mechanical properties as the Plus model with the addition of a waterproof, breathable and chemical-resistant membrane. With the standard model already successfully in use with UK fire and rescue services, the Extricator® Plus has recently been selected by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service as its official RTC glove. Ideal for non-fire related duties, the Extricator® Plus is competitively priced and is available in a wide size range (XS – XXXL).
www.sioenapparel.com
www.bennettsafetywear.co.uk
Fire intervention suits Vidal Protection delivers fire intervention suits and stationwear to most countries in Europe. The company is particularly strong in France and the Benelux countries and supplies to Portugal, Holland, Sweden, Monaco and the UK. A special suit has been developed for the French aviation markets, which is certified to a higher temperature resistance than usual suits to combat the very high temperature of aviation fuel.
Safety at sea
YDS boots chosen for Welsh firefighters YDS, Europe’s largest manufacturer of military and police footwear, has been awarded the contract to supply all Welsh firefighters with YDS flame retardant leather CROSSTECH® fire boots. In another successful contract for YDS Boots, the company will supply 3500 firefighters throughout Wales (North Wales, South Wales, Mid and West Wales) over a four-year period with the Talos and Pluto CROSSTECH® firefighter boots. YDS is one of only a few manufacturers in the world to specialise in injected Dual Density Rubber (DDR) sole construction using rubber compounds mixed in-house under a secret method and formula. The sole material is injected in liquid form then fused to the upper leather for
The Pluto designed with pull on loops.
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The Talos boot features a quick release front zip.
a strong bond. It is ideally suited to hazardous environments, in particular fire fighting. “The chosen YDS firefighter boots are of a high standard and have scored strongly for durability in trials,” said Lee Bunkham of South Wales Fire and Rescue Service. The contract will feature two boots both incorporating DDR technology and CROSSTECH® fabric to give an unprecedented level of protection to Welsh firefighters, against water, blood, body fluids and some chemicals.
Mini tender The Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation (YPO) worked with the Welsh Fire procurement team to carry out a mini tender for this contract under its 000299 Structural PPE framework and ensured a compliant route for fire and rescue services to suppliers. YPO’s Emergency Service Category Buyer Sarah Sesum said, “Purchasing in this way removes the requirement for an OJEU tendering process, saving time and money.” Protective footwear frameworks from YPO are currently available to all fire, police and ambulance services throughout the UK and Northern Ireland. The boots selected for the Welsh Contract complied to the latest European Firefighter footwear EN 15090:2012 standards, with the Talos featuring a quick release front zip and the Pluto designed with pull on
Talos being worn by a firefighter
loops. Both boots include various additional and protective features, including flex areas, a nail-proof protective textile midsole, a cut resistant strip, ankle protectors and a ridged bump cap for extra durability. YDS continues to develop new protective footwear designs with fire and rescue technical experts in response to the changing role of the fire officer. It is working with world leading technology brands including Tencate®, D30®, WL GORE® and Coolmax® in new footwear projects.
www.ydsboots.co.uk
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College training unit gets mobile in Mid and West Wales The Mobile Carbonaceous Training Unit (MCTU) – the latest development from the Fire Service College – has been designed to enable fire and rescue services across the country to put their staff through live fire training without having to travel to remote training facilities. Launched at The Emergency Services Show 2014, the MCTU was popular with fire officers across the UK, who immediately saw the potential benefits of having assessed, accredited and assured hot fire training delivered locally – as well as the potential savings to their stretched training budgets. Since The Emergency Services Show, the MCTU has been travelling across the UK – and in November, teams from Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) had a chance to try out the new mobile facility.
Safe hot fire environment Ensuring that teams in MAWWFRS have the opportunity to keep their breathing apparatus (BA) and fire behaviour training up-to-date is logistically complicated at best. As a rural service, it is expensive and difficult to send large numbers of staff to complete their training together – even without taking into account the cost of transport and accommodation. The MCTU solves these problems, bringing a safe hot fire environment into the local area; meaning that complete crews can undergo training and recertification without missing shifts or – in some cases – having to take leave from primary employment. It does not replace a full training programme; the MCTU and the development modules created by the Fire Service College’s expert trainers have been designed to fit within existing courses used by fire and rescue services. When integrated as part of a periodic ongoing competence assessment programme, the financial benefits are substantial. The MCTU means that services do not pay for maintenance or consumables – and are faced with substantially reduced staffing and transport costs.
The MCTU has been designed to produce minimal particulate emissions.
Following its arrival in Wales, over 100 operational staff undertook training on the unit over two weekends, practising breathing apparatus (BA) procedures and fire behaviour techniques. The crews were impressed by what the MCTU had to offer. One trainee said, “Conditions we’ve had today have really helped me sharpen my BA skills while under the pressure of heat and smoke ...it’s much better and more realistic than practising with a flash hood over your BA mask in the appliance bay.” While another said, “The appliances and crew who attended the training event this weekend were still available for life risk calls, which helps to address availability issues encountered when running risk critical training events at a central location.”
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Public engagement tool
Minimal emissions
The training session carried out in public was a huge success for MAWWFRS, generating 14 direct applications for recruitment for the service – and a total of 32 home fire safety referrals, four of which were deemed high risk, in hard to reach communities. Craig Flannery, Response Manager for Powys County Command, MAWWFRS, said, “The MCTU is a fantastic development for fire and rescue services. My fire crews are able to train together, in their local area – and all without missing a shift or taking the pump off the run. I think this will revolutionise hot fire training for many services across the UK. “It is also an excellent public engagement tool. The unit attracts attention, and once the fire gets going people stop to watch. It gives local residents the confidence that their firefighters are prepared for anything, as well as giving us a chance to talk to them about safety in their home – and potentially recruit them into the on call service.” The MCTU will be continuing its journey around the UK – so look out for it on a fire training ground near you – or your local supermarket car park – at some point soon.
One of the key benefits of the 23 tonne MCTU – with its separate blast filtration unit – is that it has been designed to produce minimal particulate emissions and
www.fireservicecollege.ac.uk www.mawwfire.gov.uk
“The MCTU means that services do not pay for maintenance or consumables – and are faced with substantially reduced staffing and transport costs.”
Following the MCTU’s arrival in Wales, over 100 operational staff undertook training.
as little excess heat as possible through insulated walls, allowing it to be safely used in public areas. This unique ability means that the MAWWFRS were able to carry out their training in the car park of a local supermarket, turning a routine training exercise into a public safety awareness and recruitment tool.
February 2015
ESTCOLLABORATION | 49
True collaboration delivering improved efficiency and cash savings As collaboration between the emergency services continues to gather pace, here’s an update on some of the many projects progressing across England and Wales. Words: James Belcher, Lead Officer, Emergency Services Collaboration Working Group. Southern Wales Joint Police & Fire Control Room A multi-agency control room project in Bridgend will see staff from South Wales Police, South Wales Fire and Rescue and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue sat side by side to encourage more collaborative working and shared savings. The two year project, scheduled for completion in April 2016, has already seen significant progress towards their aim of delivering a 21st Century control that delivers savings of £1m per year from 2016/17, with agreements on processes related to people, protocols, premises and ICT procurement. Assistant Chief Constable Jon Stratford, South Wales Police, said, “I am personally very excited to be part of this project, which has the potential to be one of the first successful collaborations of its kind in the UK, providing a significantly improved service to the public as well as significantly benefiting all the organisations involved.”organisations involved.”
(From L to R) Long Sutton crew: Watch Manager Richard King, Firefighters Darren Goult, Will Kirkham and Sean Gedney.
Staffordshire Police and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service have agreed to combine their fleet functions to create a new shared service to maintain both police and fire vehicles with the potential to deliver the service to other partners. The new shared service is expected to not only reduce existing costs by 30 percent (delivering a cash saving of £945,000 in two years) followed by annual revenue savings, but will also improve efficiency, reducing the time police cars are removed from service for servicing from three days to one day. Rob Butler, Director of Response for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, says, “This project will see the very best use of personnel from both organisations and will combine expertise and knowledge within one single entity. It will be a true collaboration rather than co-location as the partnership will deliver a multi-skilled workforce that can deliver the highest standards of vehicle maintenance and procurement across the services, thus creating added value to the communities of Stoke on Trent and Staffordshire.”
MAIT adoption Originally developed in South Wales, Multi Agency Information Transfer (MAIT) allows the electronic transfer of incident details across emergency services control rooms, replacing the need for operators to manually telephone other agencies to notify them of an incident and relay information. The MAIT system reduces the current time taken to share information from over four minutes to just seconds, helping to ensure information is accurate and timely, vital in improving response times and saving lives.
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, East Sussex and West Sussex Fire and Rescue Service along with the South East Coast Ambulance Service are leading the way in England and have now signed up to a MAIT hub, with a planned go live date of July 2015.
“The [MAIT] hub has real potential to enable faster information sharing across services.” Chris Colley, of the Emergency Services Collaboration Partnership at Surrey Police, says, “Although this project is still in the relatively early stages, the hub has real potential to enable faster information sharing across services whilst also improving accuracy as it replaces the manual phone call that is currently required to notify or update another service.” London Fire Brigade have been successful in securing funding from the Fire Transformation Fund for establishing the MAIT system in London. The project has begun and there is a focus on how the ability to share information quickly will help develop a common operating picture across the emergency services, assisting dynamic command decision making.
“The new control room will see control operators from the different organisations, sitting side by side, with a focus on a multi-agency response.” Emergency patient conveyance by the FRS Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue, East Midlands Ambulance Service and the charity LIVES, are piloting a partnership to provide an emergency patient conveyance service from a number of retained fire stations across Lincolnshire. Three ambulances are crewed by retained duty firefighters and mobilised to incidents with a fast response paramedic. Where a patient requires conveyance to hospital, then the ambulance is driven by a firefighter, negating the need for an EMAS ambulance. Firefighters at Long Sutton, Woodhall Spa and Stamford have recently begun crewing the ambulances, with 65 patients conveyed to hospital in the past couple of months. Long Sutton Watch Manager Richard King said, “For many years, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue has worked closely with EMAS by attending medical emergencies as co-responders. With our own vehicles, we can now offer vital extra support by actually taking patients to hospital. We are definitely getting people to hospital quicker and residents are no longer surprised when they see us!”
http://ow.ly/HODGG
February 2015
50 | ESTCOLLABORATION
Training is key to improved CT capability Standing with other emergency service responders, the fire and rescue service (FRS) is at the forefront of the emergency response to terrorist incidents. The role of the FRS extends beyond the obvious fire fighting and rescue capability into one of a partner agency integrated at both national and local level into planning, response and recovery arrangements. Words: Dave Walton, Assistant Chief Officer, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service & Yorkshire and Humber region representative on the CFOA National Operations Committee. Iconic images of the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings, the IRA’s attack on Brighton’s Grand Hotel in 1984 and the 2007 Glasgow Airport attack, alongside other incidents, provide a lasting reminder of the threat we have faced for some decades. Of late, the nature and capability of the response has increased significantly in reaction to current and escalating threats.
threat. Conceived after the attacks on the Twin Towers on 11 September 2001, the New Dimension programme provided the capabilities now deployed as part of FRS National Resilience. Provision is planned for a range of scenarios: from local attacks through to those requiring the coordination of an international response.
A trusted partner
“The FRS has worked with police and ambulance partners to develop joint response capability to a Marauding Terrorist Firearms Attack (MTFA).”
Given the increasing level of sophistication and expertise that exists in Counter Terrorism (CT), it is vital that the FRS develops and maintains itself as a trusted partner who possesses many valuable tools and can call on a wealth of expertise. After all, the service has extensive experience in carrying out technical rescues, which can often present extraordinary predicaments. These challenging scenarios range from collapsed structures, to leaks involving hazardous materials and often require the provision of advanced trauma care in challenging environments. Sadly, it is these types of rescues that often characterise the aftermath of a terrorist attack. In addition to the normal Incident Command considerations, however, is malicious intent, bringing an extra layer of uncertainty and potential volatility in which emergency responders must work. A number of FRSs now have officers seconded to local CT units to facilitate close working with partners from other agencies on the CONTEST strategy. These secondments, along with the development of a cadre of National Incident Liaison Officers (NILOs), support the planning and response phases against those risks identified by the National Risk Assessment. The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has recognised, through the FRS National Framework, that fire and rescue authorities need to be able to deal with the continuing malicious
Joint response capability The National Resilience offer includes Urban Search and Rescue (USAR), Mass Decontamination, Detection Identification and Monitoring (DIM) of Hazardous Substances, High Volume Pumping (HVP) and Enhanced Logistics Support. Any one of these capabilities can be used by fire and rescue services across the country in moments of need, such as widespread flooding. The FRS has worked with police and ambulance partners to develop joint response capability to a Marauding Terrorist Firearms Attack (MTFA), requiring close and trusted teamwork in a highly challenging operating environment. The FRS plans, primarily with Local Resilience Forum partners, for a range of possible eventualities either at specific sites or for generic terrorist incidents. The key role of this exercising is to test plans, rehearse response,
Dave Walton, Assistant Chief Officer, West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service & Yorkshire and Humber region representative on the CFOA National Operations Committee. He also acts as the strategic lead for regional operations, Hazmats and MTFA.
and seek to learn and deliver improvement. The principles of the Joint Emergency Services Interoperability Programme (JESIP) are being exercised on a regular basis and underpin actual incident response.
Revised guidance Terrorism presents challenges to each of the blue light services and associated agencies. It is difficult to foresee any significant attack, which would not require the mobilisation and collaboration of a number of services and capabilities. In preparation for this, revised FRS Incident Command guidance is being written to accommodate a broader range of scenarios. This guidance is supplemented by the FRS National Coordination and Advisory Framework (NCAF), which sets out in detail the essential linkages and communication lines in the event of a terrorist event, those dependencies and relationships linking the Commander of the first fire appliance on scene through to COBRA. Each fire and rescue service forms part of the emergency services sector of the defined national infrastructure, with elements of the organisations such as control rooms being ‘critical assets’, and services developing, maintaining and improving staff awareness through training and instruction. The FRS plans across potential business continuity challenges and has policies to cover the risks presented by cyber, personnel and physical security. In tandem with obligations as Category 1 responders under the Civil Contingencies Act, the level of FRS preparedness to respond to terrorist events is significantly improved in comparison to even 10 years ago. Collaboration with partners is key as this capability continues to evolve now and into the future.
www.cfoa.org.uk
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
February 2015
52 | ESTCOLLABORATION
Transforming pubic sector working to make a better future for Hull Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) is playing a leading part in a plan to transform public services in Hull. Nine public sector partners, which include Humberside Police and Yorkshire Ambulance Service, are working together under the Hull 2020 banner, with a vision of a brighter future for the city, shaped by public services working together as a single system by 2020. Words: Sean Moore, UK ISAR National Coordinator & Ashley Hildred, Lincolnshire FRS ISAR Team. It is a time of unique challenges in public funded services not just in Hull, but across the country. The Hull 2020 programme aims to radically change the way services are delivered so that people will experience services that fit their lifestyles and needs, designed in partnership with them. Public organisations will work closely together to deliver services that make sense, without the waste and inefficiency that can sometimes frustrate people.
“Public organisations will work closely together to deliver services that make sense, without the waste and inefficiency that can sometimes frustrate people.” HFRS is currently working on a number of key initiatives with Hull's Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) especially in the area of frailty, vulnerable groups and isolation. This is a perfect fit with existing fire reduction strategies carried out by the Hull Community Fire Safety Team and its advocates who are already active in some of the more high-risk areas of the city.
Maximise resources Hull CCG Chief Officer Emma Latimer and her team have been exploring ways in which the public sector in Hull can work together better to maximise the resources available and continue to deliver a great service to the public. In order to better understand the day to day workings of one of Hull 2020’s key partners, Emma Latimer had been keen to see the local fire and rescue service from the inside and what better way to do it than to don the boots and uniform and spend a whole shift at East Hull Fire Station! Emma spent a Saturday night in January at the station as part of Green Watch and was certainly kept busy.
Hull Clinical Commissioning Group Chief Officer Emma Latimer spent a shift at East Hull Fire Station to better understand the day-to-day workings of one of Hull 2020’s key partners.
“Every member of the shift took the time to demonstrate how to utilise a piece of equipment or to discuss how they respond to an incident,” said Emma. “I was amazed to see the range of technical skills that the crews had and I really didn’t appreciate the diverse range of skills necessary to respond to incidents. “I was really impressed with the professionalism of the staff and they made me feel really welcome. I did the full shift, attended two incidents and was put through my paces doing the fitness test on Sunday morning which I scraped through! “I had chance to discuss some of the things we are planning to do in health and asked for their views on how they thought we could work better together. I also had an opportunity to discuss some of the issues facing the fire service due to the national austerity measures affecting all public services. I can honestly say it was a fantastic experience and that was down to Green Watch – they really are a brilliant team and I can’t thank them enough.”
Improved health and wellbeing The Hull 2020 programme is led and delivered by: NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG); Hull City Council; City Health Care Partnership CIC; Healthwatch Kingston upon Hull; Humber NHS Foundation Trust; Yorkshire Ambulance Service; Humberside Police; Humberside Fire and Rescue Service; and Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust. These nine public service organisations are committed to transforming the way we all work to enable the people of Hull to improve their own health and wellbeing and to achieve their aspirations for the future.
Varied job role Station Manager Matt Sutcliffe was delighted that the shift had proved useful for the CCG Chief, He said, “One of the core parts of Hull 2020 is how healthcare providers and blue light services can best work together for the people of Hull. We can try and tell partners and the wider public the varied elements of the job, but, to really see it from the ‘shop floor’, there is no substitute for becoming a firefighter for the night! “Emma wanted to experience the role first hand and understand current local and national issues facing HFRS staff. I am really pleased that she enjoyed her shift with Green Watch – we might get her up on the 32m aerial ladder platform next time!”
www.hull2020.org
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February 2015
ESTCOLLABORATION | 53
Voluntary and faith sectors support resilience in Merseyside The Merseyside Resilience Forum (MRF) Voluntary Agencies and Faith Sector Forum (VA&FS Forum) was established in Merseyside over two decades ago. Since the Civil Contingencies Act (CCA) was enacted in 2004 the VA&FS Forum has been a permanent element of the MRF and under the current structure is a standing group, which reports to the Capabilities Sub-group of the MRF. Words: Dr J David Mitchell, Chair, Merseyside Resilience Forum Voluntary Agencies and Faith Sector Forum. The VA&FS Forum is a core grouping of third sector organisations and draws representation from Category 1 and 2 responders as well as a range of voluntary and faith sector organisations, particularly those with crisis and humanitarian remits. Core membership includes: the British Red Cross, Royal Voluntary Service, Rotary International, RAYNET, St John Ambulance and the Maritime Volunteer Service, with faith representation led by Churches Together in Merseyside alongside the Salvation Army who bridge the humanitarian and faith sectors. Additional voluntary groups (eg Samaritans) have been engaged, along with a range of wider faith representatives. The forum hopes to welcome Northwest 4x4 responders during 2015. The MRF UNITY Plan, developed by the VA&FS Forum and also originating over 20 years ago, is an agreement and mechanism for voluntary support in emergencies. It has the British Red Cross as lead or primacy agency to coordinate response and provides a means by which statutory agencies can easily access support via a single point of contact. There is a MRF Faith Plan alongside the UNITY Plan.
“The capacity of the voluntary and faith sector to act in support in a crisis is both varied and considerable.”
Members of RAYNET displayed their mobile control vehicle.
Raising awareness The MRF VA&FS Forum seeks constantly to promote its capabilities and in May 2014 the group held an event to raise awareness. This was not the familiar public facing ‘blue light’ day or fundraising effort, but an event to demonstrate to key personnel within the emergency services, local authorities and other responders the capacity of the voluntary and faith sector to act in support in a crisis is both varied and considerable.
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Members of the Royal Voluntary Service at the awareness event.
The Maritime Volunteer Service RIB on display.
British Red Cross colleagues subsequently reported that the event had caught the imagination and attention from responders across the north west. Plans are being made for similar showcasing events in Manchester and in Lancashire in 2015.
Government guidance
The Salvation Army catering vehicle was especially popular.
Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS) hosted the event at its Training and Development Academy in Croxteth, Liverpool. Following a welcome from the MFRS Chief Fire Officer, Dan Stephens, and an introduction by John Blake, National Emergency Communications Manager, British Red Cross, attendees were treated to a range of outdoor presentations and practical demonstrations of capabilities, vehicles and equipment, from the British Red Cross, Royal Voluntary Service, Rotary, RAYNET, Salvation Army and the Maritime Volunteer Service, supported by displays from MFRS and North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). Identical sessions were run morning and afternoon and were appreciated by those who came. The Salvation Army catering vehicle was especially popular as practical demonstration included an apparently inexhaustible supply of tea, coffee and biscuits for all!
Shortly before the event the updated government guidance ‘Brief guide on engaging the voluntary sector in civil protection’ and ‘Brief guide on engaging the faith communities in civil protection’ had been issued. Following the event a senior local authority officer commented that ‘the VA&FS Forum on Merseyside seems to be well placed to meet much of this guidance already and has been so for many years’.
www.merseysideprepared.org.uk
The MRF UNITY Plan has the British Red Cross as lead or primacy agency to coordinate response.
For further information please contact: Chair, MRF Voluntary Agencies and Faith Sector Forum: Dr J David Mitchell Tel: 0151 443 3756 E-mail: david.mitchell@knowsley.gov.uk E-mail: david.mitchell@knowsley.gcsx.gov.uk
Secretary to the MRF and VA&FS Forum: Diane Smith Tel: 0151 296 4536 Email: dianesmith@merseyfire.gov.uk Email: diane.smith@mfrs.cjsm.net
February 2015
54 | ESTPRODUCTS
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SOLO 7 MultiVue2 – Cobham
Personal Electronic Dosimeters – Tracerco
www.cobham.com/tcs The new SOLO 7 MultiVue2 briefcase diversity receiver from Cobham is a virtual control room in a briefcase. Designed specifically for fast, reliable deployment, and an ability to monitor multiple video and audio feeds, the new MultiVue2 features a simplified, robust internal architecture, tilting touchscreen control, full HD monitor, new easy-touse touchscreen interface, speakers for independent audio monitoring and the ability to receive four SD/HD videos at once. It is compatible with Cobham’s range of SOLO transmitters and all existing telemetry frequencies.
www.tracerco.com Tracerco, part of the Johnson Matthey group, has added to its range of award winning radiation monitors with a family of Personal Electronic Dosimeters (PEDs), providing a solution for every radiation monitoring need: the PED-IS can be used to measure radiation exposure in potentially explosive environments (Intrinsically Safe); the PED Blue, featuring DoseVisionTM software, is aimed at first reponders, for use in medical and life sciences, nuclear and industrial environments and in Non-Destructive Testing (NDT); and the PED+ has several additional functions, most notably its ability to serve as a personal dosimeter and as a handheld dose rate survey meter.
K55 fire fighting camera – FLIR Systems
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www.flir.com/FIRE The K55 is the newest member of FLIR’s K-Series family of thermal imaging fire fighting cameras. The unit incorporates the company’s revolutionary Flexible Scene Enhancement (FSX) technology, which produces 320 x 240 pixel thermal images on a large bright 4in LCD display, allowing firefighters to navigate safely and make accurate decisions when attacking fires and searching for victims. The FLIR K55 also has on-board video recording, making it an excellent tool for documenting what happens inside the fire and providing a valuable training aid for later review. The K55’s intuitive and simple three-button user interface lets the firefighter access all of the camera’s controls, even while wearing heavy gloves. The K-Series is also designed to operate in tough operating conditions; it withstands a drop from 2m on a concrete floor, is water resistant (IP67), and fully operational up to +260°C / +500°F. The K55 is available for purchase through established distribution networks from 1 March 2015. It also comes with FLIR’s exclusive warranty covering the full camera for two years and the detector for 10 years.
Parabag equipment bags – SP Services
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www.spservices.co.uk Parabag are one of the most popular specialist equipment bags produced by SP Services, covering key equipment requirements for first responders and paramedics. The new Parabag range, available from Spring 2015, has been completely redesigned around functionality and modern materials. Developed with the latest Blood Borne Pathogen (BBP) resistant fabric, the bags are robust and easy to maintain in a hardwearing environment. The new features include rapid fix handles, robust access zips and fluid resistant coating to ensure it is both functional and durable. Reinforced stitches, anti-slip under cushion pads mean that these bags are designed to stand the test of time. Available in a range of colours, models and sizes so that you can find the right bag to meet your professions needs.
Body-worn recorder – Marantz Professional www.marantzpro.com The high definition PMD-901V personal A/V recorder from Marantz Professional captures up to eight continuous hours of full HD video at 2304 x 1296 resolution, rendering impeccable detail and clarity, in harsh conditions. Weighing less than 200g, the PMD-901V attaches unobtrusively to the user’s clothing with a swivelling clip for optimum video capture from the ultra-wide 140-degree field-of-view lens. The unit seamlessly integrates with uniforms and heavy outerwear, making gloved operation a simple task, even in extreme temperatures. A backlit, high-resolution 2in colour screen provides in-field review capabilities, while the password-protected files are secure from tampering or erasure by unauthorised personnel.
5 www.emergencyservicestimes.com
February 2015
ESTPRODUCTS | 55 VEHICLE MOUNTED BOILING WATER SYSTEM
Cold, wet and dehydration can reduce performance and impair safety. By fitting a ‘TeaMate’ water boiler, crews can make themselves a cup of tea, coffee or other hot beverage to keep warm and hydrated, therefore maximising concentration and keeping fatigue to a minimum.
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Compact commercial grade throughout. Self contained fully automatic. 24v and 12v models available. Makes up to 9 mugs per filling. WHISPAIRE LTD Email: info@whispaire.co.uk Web: www.whispaire.co.uk T: + 44 (0)1794 523999 F: + 44 (0)1794 519151
WANTED photographs of Ambulances and Police vehicles from 1950's - present day. please call Paul Hill after 6PM on 01752 360315
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February 2015
56 | ESTLAST WORDS
Keeping the country running when the lights go out The fragility of the UK’s ageing power generation network is widely recognised. However the loss of Didcot power station to fire in 2014 coming hard on the heels of decommissioning several nuclear power stations and the lack, as yet, of sufficient, cost effective and reliable renewables alternatives is pushing the country to the brink. Yet despite the very real risk of power outages, a huge proportion of the critical UK infrastructure is still 100 percent reliant on the mains supply – leaving businesses, consumers and organisations responsible for public safety extremely vulnerable should major outages occur. Words: Andy Parfitt, Sales Director, Harland Simon UPS. From traffic lights to railway crossings and utilities providers, the fact is that in today’s joined up and internet enabled society, every aspect of the infrastructure is reliant upon clean, reliable power supply. And for those tasked with delivering these services, contingency planning is not just about safeguarding the infrastructure; it is increasingly about safeguarding revenue. In today’s target driven and highly regulated society, any significant failure in rail or road networks, water or power utilities will result in fines, negative publicity and a drop in shareholder value. The lights may not go out – yet. But can any business afford to take the risk? Failing to safeguard that power supply could compromise both revenue and public safety.
Lights out When the UK Government takes out what is effectively a £1bn insurance policy against the lights going out, it is clearly time for the rest of the country to take note. With Britain facing a severe power generation crunch for the next two winters and Ofgem warning that the margin – the spare capacity above peak demand – could fall to as low as two percent next winter, contingency plans are becoming important. In addition to the recent controversial announcement regarding the proposed payment of £990m in subsidies to power plants to guarantee demand can be met from 2018, the Government has also invested heavily in the Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) and the Securities and Emergencies Measures Directive (SEMD), designed to protect critical sites against terrorist attack.
Risk of terrorist activity Not only does the UK have to contend with a power generation network still in transition, a loss of power may not just come from grid overload: there is a significant risk of terrorist activity compromising the power network. That means there is a pressing need to safeguard not only the most obvious aspects of the nation’s infrastructure – the banks, the petrochemical plants, the power stations, and the Government – but to also ensure that the air, road and rail networks are able to manage in the event of power outage; that water supplies are not affected and that emergency services can still communicate effectively.
very clear. How will the emergency services respond to problems caused by a power outage when the roads are gridlocked because the traffic lights are not working? When innovative technology enables controllers to turn all the lights green on a key route to support rapid emergency response – failing to protect the traffic lights against mains failure would appear somewhat shortsighted. Furthermore, this is not just about protecting against a full power outage – in reality just a small percentage of power problems are associated with complete failure. It is far more likely that individual components will be damaged as a result of a power spike, surge or dip. Protecting against these problems is also critical to keep the infrastructure working effectively and to minimise the additional costs associated with costly repair.
“How will the emergency services respond to problems caused by a power outage when the roads are gridlocked because the traffic lights are not working?” Of course, these are not standard environments. In addition to being typically unmanned, from traffic lights to water treatment plants, these are harsh environments subject to extremes of temperature, vibration, water ingress, dust and dirt. They are certainly not suitable for the standard Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS) that are deployed in clean, temperature controlled offices and data centres to provide clean, reliable power supplies. Put these UPSs into the power plant and the life span will shrink from 10 years plus to perhaps just months as a result of dust or shorting out due to water ingress. Place them in any environment subject to significant vibrations and failure will be rapid; while exposure to cold – or hot – temperature extremes will result in battery life plummeting.
Fragile society The importance of such contingency planning is demonstrated on a nearly daily basis. When less than an hour’s downtime of the air traffic control system over London resulted in two days of chaos; or when a road closure can cause gridlock in the surrounding area for hours, the fragility of the UK infrastructure becomes
www.emergencyservicestimes.com
Protecting critical locations These are critical locations that require protecting; but they are also often unmanned and organisations need equipment that is reliable and offers long-term protection. While some manufacturers insist data centre and office UPSs need to be regularly tested (including
Photo: istockphoto.com
monthly discharge tests) this is simply not a practical option for an out of the way, unmanned location. Demanding monthly maintenance activity creates an unjustifiable whole life cost in these harsh environments – the key here is to put in place a device that is ultra reliable and can both guarantee a long life and requires minimal ongoing maintenance. The solution is to provide a rugged protected UPS that is designed specifically to work reliably and for a long life within a harsh environment; one that has been engineered, modified, ruggedised and tailored to fit within specific site and application space constraints: a ‘Protected UPS’. The UPS needs to be the correct Form-Fit-Function! With the right UPS in place, organisations can be assured that these critical aspects of the national infrastructure will keep running irrespective of power outages or glitches. Quite simply, put a UPS on a key traffic light intersection and the traffic continues flowing, the emergency services can respond as required; provide a UPS to support a hospital’s internal phone system and staff can continue to communicate irrespective of power problems.
Power contingency planning Of course, when it comes to national contingency there is also a financial consideration. Power stations and water companies, rail providers and emergency services are all subject to strict targets – failure to meet these targets will result in fines, damage to brand image, and an impact on shareholder value. Whether the UK hits its full capacity and the lights go out, or a sub-station trips for a few seconds resulting in a surge that damages equipment, the nation’s reliance on power cannot be underestimated. Safeguarding critical infrastructure is as much about protecting the smooth operation of the nation as it is about safeguarding the smooth flow of revenue – and power contingency is now a fundamental aspect of business planning.
www.harlandsimonups.com
February 2015