WA's DFES upgrades CAD in $7m contract
Western Australia’s Department of Fire & Emergency Services (DFES) will acquire a new, $7 million computer aided dispatch (CAD) system from Motorola Solutions.
The PremierOne CAD integrates critical information between agency databases, command centres and frontline officers.
DFES now joins Western Australia Police (WAPOL) in using the same PremierOne CAD technology platform, creating more opportunities for collaboration between the state’s fire and emergency services and police for coordinated incident response in the future.
WAPOL invested $11 million in 2015 to upgrade its CAD platform to PremierOne.
The CAD system will provide DFES with many enhanced features to enable greater visibility of its resources for better decision-making and resource management, such as mobility technology to provide instant and precise mapping, dispatch and premise hazard information to crews working on emergency response vehicles.
The Western Australian government’s State ICT Strategy aims to align technology and business functions to improve service delivery to the community by:
- simplifying technology platforms, systems and standards as part of a unified government
- connecting agencies and the community through digital services and system integration
- informing decision-makers, frontline staff and the public with quality data and analysis.
Steve Crutchfield, vice president and general manager for Motorola Solutions Australia and New Zealand, said the CAD systems would provide full support for daily operations for DFES and WAPOL and can be ramped up to support peak events and emergencies.
“Placing the right information into the hands of first responders leads to better, faster and more accurate decision-making in critical moments,” Crutchfield said.
“The PremierOne CAD technology platform will help DFES to manage their resources more efficiently so frontline officers can be deployed quickly and effectively to protect their communities.
“In the future, having fire and emergency services and police agencies using the same CAD technology means they can collaborate more effectively during peak events, including major bushfires. This creates a clear, common operating picture of what is happening in real time, helping response agencies to protect lives and property,” Crutchfield said.
The CAD platform can also support the addition of further agencies over time, as well as future technological advancements, to further enhance efficiency and frontline support.
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