New Emergency Communications Pilot
12 September 2013 at 12:32 pm
In an Australian first, Victorian emergency services organisations may soon be able to communicate with each other via a common channel, from any device to any device, under a new pilot project.
The Emergency Services Integrated Communications project will be trialled in the coming months to develop an integrated voice, text, email, video and location services application for smartphones that will allow emergency service workers and volunteers to communicate across mobile and radio networks.
The Victorian Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips says that the Emergency Services Integrated Communications project, led by the National Safety Agency, has received funding through the Broadband-Enabled Innovation Program.
Speaking at the project launch, Minister Rich-Phillips said the project provided an ideal test platform to showcase the potential of new communication technologies.
“This project is innovation at its best and will showcase the potential for real time communication between field responders and those in command and control positions to improve decision making with access to better information.”
Victorian Fire Services Commissioner, Craig Lapsley said the availability of information in real time to communities was an integral factor in improving the safety and security of Victorians.
“Longer term, our ultimate aim is for responders to be able to view real-time streaming video of incidents, listen to dispatchers’ instructions and review emergency services data on smartphones before they even arrive on scene,” Lapsley said.
President of the National Safety Agency, Des Bahr, said the project has attracted over $4 million in funding and he was confident of significant export opportunities and attracting around $100 million in additional revenue that will create up to 80 jobs in Victoria.
