Fujitsu has completed the implementation of an Emergency Services Computer Aided Dispatch (ESCAD) system for Ambulance Tasmania. This completes the integration of emergency systems across all emergency service organisations in Tasmania, including Police, Fire Service, Ambulance, and State Emergency Service.
The first true all-agency system in Australia covering all emergency services, this project provides multi-agency capabilities between all emergency services organisations across Tasmania. This allows for real-time sharing of incident details, resource location, hazards, and warnings as well as status tracking between Police, Fire, SES, and Ambulance agencies, significantly improving operational response time and improving the safety of frontline responders and the Tasmanian community.
A key benefit of the ESCAD system is the simplification of handling calls for assistance, including calls made to Triple Zero (000). This system removes a number of manual processes and inefficiencies caused by disparate systems to provide streamlined handling of calls between emergency services response units, including reducing or eliminating the need for phone calls to multiple agencies to coordinate a response. This in turn reduces double handling and improves the overall response time and accuracy of critical incident information.
Tasmania Police Deputy Commissioner Scott Tilyard, Chairperson of the ESCAD Steering Committee said, “It’s a seamlessly integrated system between all our emergency services allowing us to share information in real time across agencies for an improved response. We are confident that this world-class system will play a key part in saving lives of Tasmanians for years to come.”
Mike Foster, CEO, Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand, said, “Fujitsu Australia and New Zealand is honoured to have helped to streamline the emergency response process for Tasmanian Emergency Services. This is a great example of how digital transformation can deliver real business value and, in this case, contribute to saving lives across Tasmania.”
The implementation of ESCAD was initiated in April 2016 and saw the Tasmanian Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management appoint Fujitsu to deliver the ESCAD alongside configuration, customisation, interface development, training materials and ongoing support and maintenance services. The first agency to go live was Tasmania Police in October 2017 followed by the Tasmania Fire Service in November 2018, which first enabled the multi-agency functionality.
