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News in brief
A selection of news stories from this month's BAPCO Journal.
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue use new Gazetteer
Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service is using a new property management system based on the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG), to help with its domestic and commercial property inspections.
In 2007 the NLPG was chosen to underpin the new FiReControl project, which spurred a number of Fire & Rescue services to embrace the NLPG concept and link up with the address gazetteers maintained by local authorities.
The next phase of the Oxfordshire project will be to create a dynamic link between the NLPG and the job management system.
“The NLPG is becoming our de facto source of property information,” said Jennie Crapper, Oxfordshire Fire & Rescue Service’s Data and Systems Manager. “In addition to our core Job Management System the NLPG is being referenced for our Fire Safety Audit forms. Our CAD system and hydrant database will be the next systems to be linked.”
Shropshire Fire & Rescue goes digital
Shropshire Fire & Rescue has gone digital with around one million documents of “critically important” fire safety paperwork, some dating back to WWII.
The £52,000 operation is expected to lead to future financial savings in administration and storage expenses. Building plans have been scanned and are now viewed on large plasma screen monitors, tablets and desktop PCs. By using a smart screen overlay, fire officers can also now work on plans electronically, dispensing with pen and ink.
“It also means we can respond to planning applications much quicker and we hope to dispense with paper plans totally in the future”, commented Mike Ablitt, Head of Fire Prevention. “The electronic files are stored on our fire safety database so that the inspecting officer has every piece of information about a property at their fingertips, either at their desks, or out in the field.”
New DVD from the MET
The Metropolitan Police Service Family Liaison Advisory Team has produced a new training DVD entitled Mass Fatalities - A Dynamic Response.
The film examines the developing role of the Family Liaison Officer (FLO) and Transport Care Teams in mass fatality emergencies. It also identifies how critical good working relationships are between agencies in order to achieve a level of service appropriate to the needs of victims and survivors.
Amongst the DVD’s eights sections are parts covering; 9/11; Role of Public, Private and Voluntary Sectors; Tsunami and Bali; and Planning and Preparedness. A PowerPoint presentation is also included.
This is a ‘must have’ resource if you are involved in the planning of and/or the delivery of care and support to victims’ families or survivors and their families in a mass fatality emergency, or just want to know more about the role of the Police FLO.
For more information visit: www.tsoshop.co.uk/massfatalities
