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- Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service gets new high-tech radio equipment for better communication in emergencies
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service gets new high-tech radio equipment for better communication in emergencies
| Published | 29 January 2009 |
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Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service is the latest FRS in Great Britain to complete installing new digital radio communications equipment - Firelink - helping to save lives.
Firelink will give the fire service the ability to communicate with police and ambulance command centres, vital when dealing with major incidents, as they will now be on the same radio network. The new equipment will provide the FRS with clearer voice communications than current systems.
The Firelink radio and communications system is part of the £1billion investment by Communities and Local Government to improve FRS capability to deal with all types of incident, including major emergencies such as industrial accidents, severe weather or terrorist activity.
Fire Minister Sadiq Khan said:
"Thanks to Government investment, for the first time, crews in Fire and Rescue Services vehicles will be able to communicate directly with the control and command centres of all fire services in Great Britain. Firelink also provides the FRS with the ability to communicate with police and ambulance command centres. This will help them all deal with any kind of emergency - industrial accident, severe weather or terrorist activity.
"With vehicles now fitted with Firelink equipment, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue is the latest FRS now able to use the new digital radios in Great Britain.
"The new Firelink communications equipment means that when the new control centres are operational, it will be possible to effectively deploy the nearest available and suitable fire appliance or special rescue vehicle to an incident. This will result in greater resilience, information and incident support for firefighters, and a better service to the public - for both day to day and major incidents."
Tyne and Wear's Chief Fire Officer Iain Bathgate, welcoming the completion of the fit out said:
"We are delighted that all Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service's fire appliances have now been fitted with the new digital communications radio equipment. The equipment strengthens our ability to respond to major incidents, improves the clarity of our voice communications and is part of our continued drive to deliver a modern and effective service to our local communities."
The new Firelink system has already been installed in England's current FRS control rooms, and will become operational as equipment is installed in each service's vehicles. Its operation will transfer to the new FireControl national network of linked regional control centres by 2012.
Notes to editors
Photograph available:
Seven things you didn't know about the new hi-tech Firelink radio system
1. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service is the second in the scheduled roll-out in England, and within Great Britain, to be linked into the national Firelink Airwave network.
2. Tyne and Wear FRS has had 69 vehicles fitted with the Firelink equipment ranging from 61 fire appliances to 8 light vehicles.
3. Technology installed in the fire appliances includes the very latest digital radios and mountings for computer equipment that will eventually display geographical maps and site information to assist emergency response crews to carry out their duties effectively and safely.
4. Firelink is being rolled out across all FRS in England, Scotland and Wales.
5. The Police and Ambulance Services are already using the Airwave service for their communications.
6. Firelink will provide the communications system that will enable the new regional FireControl centres to track, monitor and mobilise all Fire and Rescue vehicles. This will enable the nearest available and appropriate fire appliance or special rescue vehicle to be sent to an incident and provide up to date information for commanders.
7. It will also provide the Fire and Rescue Service incident commander with the ability to communicate effectively with other emergency services for the duration of an incident.
For more information on Tyne and Wear FRS please telephone 0191 4441513.
For information on the Government's investment in FRS resilience please contact Communities press office or visit www.communities.gov.uk/fireandresilience.
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