London Fire Brigade’s 112 fire stations cover an area of 620 square miles and help to protect the lives of 7.2 million residents plus a daily influx of two million commuters and visitors. Its 235 emergency response vehicles attend a range of incidents in the capital from house fires and road accidents to chemical spills and the inevitable hoax calls.

With a total of 6,300 firefighters and officers at its disposal, co-ordinating brigade resources at a major incident can be a complex process. As Brian Mills, resource centre manager, explains: “The 9/11 experience was a big wake-up call for fire authorities and has led to a rethink of the way catastrophic incidents are managed.”

The ‘gold’ room is central to the brigade’s management of such incidents. Used on a daily basis to provide the brigade with a range of support services, it becomes a strategic co-ordination centre when a major incident happens in the capital.

To help improve the co-ordination capabilities of the centre, which was used during the bombings in July 2005, London Fire Brigade decided to deploy a sophisticated audio-visual and video conferencing solution. The brigade also wanted to equip its two control centres, which handle 300,000 emergency calls per year, with video conferencing links.
“Technology is essential for facilitating emergency incidents, and we wanted to ensure that our staff and officers have access to as much information as possible,” comments Geoff Rogers, IT bridge manager for the brigade.

The brigade used the government’s IT procurement Catalist to find an experienced audio-visual partner. By working with Computacenter, London Fire Brigade was able to deploy a best-of-breed solution that met both its business and budgetary needs.

Although the brigade had a clear understanding of how it hoped to use the new system, it needed help sourcing the right technology and developing an integrated solution. “We wanted to be able to display information from a range of sources, and needed expert advice on how best to deploy the technology to ensure maximum results,” adds Rogers.
As a result, the brigade’s gold room is now equipped with a state-of-the art audio-visual environment, which encompasses a smartboard, projector, plasma screen, and video conferencing system. These systems provide information feeds from the Metropolitan Police’s helicopter camera, media news channels, GIS maps, the brigade’s control room and mobilising system. In future, it will also link up the capital’s CCTV network, as well as other emergency services.

To ensure senior officers can quickly switch between these different information feeds, Computacenter has equipped the gold room with a wireless content management solution. It is also providing support for the systems to ensure their ongoing availability, and installed video conferencing in the brigade’s two control rooms and a meeting room.

The new technology was put to the test unexpectedly on 7 July 2005 when four terrorist bombs rocked the capital. As Rogers explains: “We had completed the installation the day before and were planning to carry out a number of tests. But the system ended up going live immediately and worked very well.”

The solution was back in the front-line again on 21 July when there were four further explosions. “Thanks to the video conferencing solution, senior officers could have constant dialogue with our mobilising control team about the incidents,” adds Mills.

The technology also provides senior offices with a valuable insight into incidents. “By using the smartboard and our mapping systems, we can track a civil disturbance or smoke plumes across London and alert the necessary authorities,” comments Mills. “We can also use the smartboard to overlay specific information, and record and save our planning notes, which can then be reviewed after an incident.”