CCR  |   TETRA  |   LTE  |   Control rooms  |  2020-10-16

North Wales Fire and Rescue's transition to ESN Supported by Capita's Integrated Communication Control System

Source: The Critical Communications Review | Gert Jan Wolf editor

Capita plc has secured a five-year contract worth £788,000 to deliver an integrated communication control system to North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWFRS), to support its transition to the new Emergency Services Network (ESN).

Capita’s DS3000 software solution will support NWFRS in transforming its control room operations and will maintain connectivity to both the current Airwave emergency network and ESN when it becomes available. Capita will also provide a fully managed support service.

The new solution includes an ESN-ready ‘dispatch communication server’ interface that will enable NWFRS to connect to the latest ‘stepping stone’ the new system to maintain mission-critical communications.

DS3000 provides a single touchscreen control capability to deliver a unified platform for telephone and radio communications, both crucial to control room operations.

Capita’s software will deliver a resilient service that is replicated across both the main and ‘fall-back’ control rooms. In addition to connecting both control rooms sites, the DS3000 will enable access to a third ‘out-of-area’ site. This will improve telephone resilience and increase technical capacity to the control room as a whole.

Paul Eggleton, managing director of Capita’s Secure Solutions and Services, said: “Capita is the leading provider of communications platforms to the UK’s emergency services. This new partnership with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is built on our expertise and digital innovation in the emergency services sector.”

Richard Fairhead, assistant chief fire officer, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “We are going through an important transition for our control room operations that will help improve services and increase operational effectiveness. Capita’s solution will not only support us in delivering services but will futureproof us for ESN as well as other technical and operational changes on the horizon.”