the value of communication networks in a public safety environment
DESCRIPTION
The communications environment for Public Safety Agencies today and into the future, is increasingly fluid and shaped by a dynamic mix of continuing and emerging challenges, technologies, expectations and opportunities. This delivers a need for immediate access to multiple types and channels of communication. Wireless communications are particularly important to support the mobility necessary for field operations, however there is also an emerging need for real time data from incident locations and command centres and airborne solutions. For the community, the resilience of people and households is significantly increased by ensuring there is an awareness of the threats, thus empowering those affected with information to assist the decision-making processes is vital. This brings into the mix commercial radio, TV and social media. Social media works in two ways, social media channels can provide a source of information from which disaster managers can obtain real-time awareness of developing situations as well as a mechanism for which to communicate outwards. Underpinning the delivery of these essential communication exchanges is the requirement for resilient networks, be that private, public or shared. Bringing this together, to deliver effective and balanced communication in crisis environments, is just one component of emergency response. Shane Fitzsimmons AFSM, Commissioner,NSW Rural Fire ServiceTRANSCRIPT
COMMS CONNECT 2014COMMS CONNECT 2014
COMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS IN A PUBLIC SAFETY ENVIRONMENT
Shane Fitzsimmons AFSM | Commissioner | NSW Rural Fire Service
At a glance
› The world’s largest volunteer fire service
› More than 70,000 members
› Providing fire and emergency services to approximately
95% of the geography of NSW
› Our vision and mission:› To provide a world standard of excellence in the provision of a › To provide a world standard of excellence in the provision of a
community-based fire and emergency service
› To protect the community and our environment we will minimise the
impact of fire and other emergencies by providing the highest
standards of training, community education, prevention and
operational capability
What we do
Our members provide fire and emergency services such as:
› Bush and grass fires
› Structure fires
› Motor vehicle accidents
›
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› Support to flood and storm operations
› Assistance with search and rescue operations
› Community First Response
More than 20,000 incidents per year
Coordinated firefighting
•One Incident Management Team per incident
•One Incident Controller
•NSW RFS lead combat agency for major bush fire incidents
•Regardless of public or private land•Regardless of public or private land
•Other agencies are a part of the IMT
•Agencies use the NSW RFS Incident Control Online (ICON) system
•NSW RFS website the ‘single source’ of online information on bush fires
Technology informing decisions
Technology informing decisions
Technology informing decisions
Technology informing decisions
Technology informing decisions
Technology informing decisions
Technology informing decisions
Technology informing decisions
Technology informing the community
Technology informing the community
Technology informing the community
The fires of 2013
› 7 to 21 January 2013
› Catastrophic fire danger ratings in large population
centres for the first time
› More than a million telephone warnings sent
› 512 bush and grass fires
› 17 to 26 October 2013› 17 to 26 October 2013
› Large and damaging fires in areas including Blue
Mountains and Hawkesbury, Southern Highlands,
Port Stephens, Central Coast
› More than 200 properties destroyed
› State of Emergency 20-30 October
› October fires video
13-26 October 2013
Public Information7-21 January 13-26 October
Emergency Alert 99 campaigns (of which 43 used location based function)
72 campaigns418,247 messages sent
NSW RFS website8.7 million page views
5.7m visitors14.1m page views
NSW RFS Facebook 27.6 million impressions 108.4m impressions
NSW RFS Twitter 15.5 million impressions 24.2m impressions
Bush Fire Information Line
Over 26,300 calls received of which 12,600 taken by operators
46,545 calls to BFIL18,041 of these answered by BFIL operators
Fires Near Me 150,000 new downloads80,000 fire searches per hour at peak
188,000 new downloads219,000 fire searches per hour at peak
Coordinated messaging
Coordinated messaging
Social Media - how we use it
CorporatePreparation
Emergency
Media
Emergency Information
Intelligence
NSW RFS and social media
› 2008 NSW RFS establishes social media channels
› 2009 Victorian bush fires
› 2010 Social media policy developed
› 2011 Social media policy introduced
› 2013 January and October bush fires
0
50000
100000
150000
200000
250000
300000
2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
'Fans'
Social media and intelligence
The unexpected issues...
Facebook user
I can see flames a kilometre away, what should we do? There’s no away, what should we do? There’s no fire engines here, no one to ask.
The unexpected issues…
The unexpected issues…
The unexpected issues…
The unexpected issues…
Going global
Challenges
› Social media – finding the "needle in the
haystack"
› Keeping pace with technology
› Using technology as an enabler - not the driver
› Reliance on people in the decision making › Reliance on people in the decision making
process
› Retention of data
› Managing community expectations
Where to from here?
› TOILET PAPER AD
Challenges
Abernethy – 2002Photo by Darren Pateman