Fujitsu has won a contract to implement a new computer aided dispatch system for the Tasmanian government’s Department of Police, Fire and Emergency Management.
The Emergency Services Computer Aided Dispatch (ESCAD) will be used across a range of agencies including Tasmanian Fire, Ambulance Tasmania, State Emergency Services (SES), and Police.
At the moment the state emergency services rely on non-integrated CAD systems across police, the fire service and Ambulance Tasmania. SES currently employs a manual service that leverages the police and fire systems.
Fujitsu said it would partner with Tasmanian company Synateq, for the project
“We are very pleased to be working alongside the Tasmanian emergency services groups in the implementation of this essential system, which will help to ensure the best possible response to Tasmanians in need,” Fujitsu CEO Mike Foster said in a statement.
“Fujitsu is proud to leverage our existing experience in Public Safety to ensure these critical situations can be managed with the utmost efficiency and precision,” the CEO said.
The system will be based on Capita’s VISION CAD software.
The contract includes ongoing support and maintenance for five years following launch.
The implementation is worth $6.5 million contract, with support services bumping the total value up to $15.3 million.
The department issued the initial tender in November last year.
The move to implement the ESCAD project follows a state government inquiry into the 2013 Tasmanian bushfires that recommended potentially moving to a common dispatch system for the state's emergency services.
“[T]he Emergency Services Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) project, would also assist with interoperability and greater efficiency in emergency communications,” the report said.
“The TASPOL Command and Control system was developed and implemented in 1989. There are support issues for the current system and it is operating on aged technology. TFS operates under a different CAD system which does not have the same difficulties as the TASPOL system, but Ambulance Tasmania may need replacement technology.
“A common CAD system is a matter the Government could consider in due course.”