SOTI Research: Widespread Device Issues Impede Emergency Response Times

The study found that problems with devices and apps are causing delays in accessing digital incident records or even receiving important location information.

New research from SOTI has found that nearly all emergency services workers in the UK (95%) are experiencing problems with mobile devices – such as tablets, smartphones, rugged devices, printers and more – resulting in a knock-on impact on response times and care.

The findings come from SOTI’s latest report, Digitising the Frontline: Transformative Technologies in Critical Care, which surveyed 900 global emergency services workers, including 100 frontline staff in the UK’s police, ambulance and fire and rescue services. The study found that problems with devices and apps are causing delays in accessing digital incident records or even receiving important location information, and two-thirds of respondents are calling for the technologies they use in field to be optimised to ensure faster response times. 

Reported issues include poor battery health (34%), devices crashing (24%), slow uploads of digital forms (26%) or forms not working at all (14%). Two in five (40%) say it can often take between 20 and 60 minutes to resolve. These factors are causing unnecessary strain, with almost two-thirds (65%) of the UK’s emergency services workers saying the problems they experience are increasing stress levels.

“In critical situations where quick decision-making and responses are vital, even a minor issue with an app or device can have a detrimental effect,” said Stefan Spendrup, VP of Sales, Northern and Western Europe at SOTI. “Whether it’s police and paramedics hurrying to the scene of an accident or firefighters evacuating people amid dangerous conditions, it’s important that the technology they rely upon works as it should. This means that central IT teams need better visibility over their device fleets with real-time diagnostic intelligence, which allows them to predict and resolve issues in advance by analysing device data.”

Managing Security Concerns

Due to recurring technical difficulties, all emergency services workers continue to make use of traditional pen and paper methods, with over a third using this approach most of the time (for 60-100% of cases). This puts sensitive data at risk of being lost, stolen or impacted by human error.

Almost half (46%) of those surveyed are also using their personal devices for work, either out of frustration with problems arising from employer devices or because they haven’t been issued one.

“Major challenges can present themselves if personal devices are not managed by IT teams,” added Spendrup. “Devices are susceptible to software vulnerabilities and cyber threats because of how difficult it is to provide manual software updates, troubleshoot issues when they occur or lock devices down if they are lost or stolen.”

Even when equipment is employer-issued, they are frequently changing hands. SOTI’s report revealed that over half of employer-issued devices (53%) are being shared between workers.

First responders who exchange and swap technologies may be working on different cases where visuals, notes and other content must be instantly accessible and organised.

“If they are sharing devices, user profiling is essential to ensure necessary data is only accessible to the right person and sensitive information stays secure,” added Spendrup.

He concluded:

“The public puts its trust in emergency services workers to come to their aid swiftly, strategically and with their care top of mind. Our research shows that first responders and their teams must be able to put the same trust in the technologies they use at every stage of an emergency.”