BAPCO Releases Next Generation 999 White Paper
Amongst other things, the white paper concludes: "Technology is leaping forward, but the transformation of the emergency services is sluggish – there is a real danger of being left behind and failing the public."
the British Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (British APCO) has published a white paper on the topic of “Next Generation 999” (NG999)". This white paper highlights the issues that need to be addressed when people in the UK have access to an emergency call service that operates consistently well across all emergency services and regions and makes full use of available technology.
The white paper summarises the discussions from the Association’s NG999 event, which took place on 11 June this year and it highlights the concern that newly developed apps, that have a real potential benefit for the emergency services and for public safety providers, cannot progress into the 999 system because as of today, BT can generally handle only voice calls and a limited number of messages via SMS.
According to the white paper "There are times when those in need cannot make a voice call. On other occasions, valuable information could be available from the scene, but the caller has no option to communicate other than by voice."
To catalyse debate and discussion on the future of this critical service, the BAPCO NG999 event, part of the BAPCO Satellite Series, brought together industry, users and a range of other stakeholders under the lead of Darryl Keen DL, Chief Fire Officer of Hertfordshire FRS and Chair of the UK 999 Liaison Committee. Participants discussed the future of the 999 service, the choices, the challenges and the caveats.
The subsequent BAPCO White Paper summarises the discussions between those stakeholders and provides the basis for further debate and the development of what must be a robust project plan that will ultimately result in a comprehensive technology roadmap for NG999 in the Unted Kingdom.
Picture: Ian Thompson CEO BAPCO
