Grant Cowans - Head of Operations (Ambulance Radio Programme) at Telent Technology Services Ltd
The Home Office led transition to ESN (Emergency Services Network) will greatly impact the entire emergency services communication infrastructure, from in-vehicle and hand-held devices, to control rooms, the networks connecting control rooms, and station-end and mobilisation systems used by Fire and Rescue Services. Not only will this shake up critical communications, but frontline and control room staff will have to adapt to new ways of working throughout the major digital changeover.
The transition to ESN will require communication devices to be upgraded in approximately 41,000 emergency services vehicles across the UK’s police, fire, ambulance, and Coastguard services. With large-scale projects already ongoing, such as the Ambulance Radio Programme’s (ARP) communication upgrades across England, the transition will offer faster critical communications, enhanced data capacity and reduced operating costs.
Providing consistent quality assurance
To ensure a successful ESN fleet transition, it is imperative that fleet managers work with leading partners that are certified and have a proven capability in the emergency services sector. For large-scale fleet deployments, the real differentiator is the expertise in audit trail and quality assurance, management and reporting support tools, and a strong repeatable process for consistency of delivery.
Telent offers a complete range of ESN vehicle services, including pre-transition fleet surveys, collaborative vehicle installation design, installations, safe disposal of old devices, and ongoing maintenance for ESN equipment. For management and reporting, Telent wanted to make a transition to a workflow application for its service offering to enhance visibility and control for fleet managers.
Minimising faults with management solutions
Working alongside an innovative supplier, Telent has implemented its bespoke workflow solution, the ‘Installation and Field Services Application’. This smartphone application enables fully digital and personalised management, with the ability to evidence all jobs in real-time, report faults and ensure consistency quality by utilising the video capability. All vehicle field services activity can be controlled and managed via a workflow solution that can be accessed by field engineers and user organisations. The customer experience can be improved, on-site visits and costs are reduced, and an organisation’s carbon footprint significantly lowered.
To confirm reliable and consistent connectivity of ESN, Telent delivers ESN Assure for the Home Office, a programme that tests the coverage strength of the ESN network by testing vehicle and in-building coverage. To date, this testing has captured more than 2.5 billion data points, to help ensure minimal disruption and a seamless ESN transition. Telent has major experience in the blue light sector, with ongoing device upgrades for the ARP, and the previous implementation of more than 8,000 upgraded communication tetra radio devices to every fire service vehicle in the UK, as part of Telent’s large-scale partnership with Firelink.
There is no doubt that Telent has the capability to enable a seamless ESN transition for fleet managers through its innovative management processes. It is fully equipped with the expertise and tools necessary to ensure a fully managed and scalable service, especially when it comes to the transition of this crucial element of the UK’s emergency services communication infrastructure.
Find out more about Telent’s work with the emergency services and the nationwide ESN transition here.