Fire and Rescue Congress 2011 - Out of Control: the future for fire controls in the UK, is to be held on May 25, at Ort House Conference Centre in London.


The conference 

The demise of the Regional Control Centre programme (RCC) has left the fire and rescue services with a void that will need to be filled over the next five years or so. Many services had expected this void to be filled by the regional solution and now find themselves with redundant or semi-redundant systems that require replacing. The delivery of a cost-effective method of call-handling and response dispatch remains at the heart of any emergency service and in the current economic environment solutions will be sought that meet user requirements within contracting budgets.

There are many lessons to be learned in this vital sector of the Fire and Rescue Service. These include how an eminently sensible approach to an efficient control system can be frustrated through a lack of clarity of expectations and appreciation of user requirements. There are also examples of good practice and systems and concepts that should enable the service to move through this difficult period to provide a better service for the community. The threats to the community from terrorism and climate change have not diminished and the ability to respond to events provides communities and individuals with a reassurance they deserve. The 2012 Olympics around the corner will serve to focus minds on the effectiveness of response of the Service.

This conference will look at the lessons that can be learned from the aborted procurement of the regional fire controls, look for examples of best practice in call and dispatch practices, seek ideas from industry experts in developing a robust and resilient emergency response control for the 21st-century, and build on the best available technology today.

Confirmed speakers 

  • Ron Dobson Commissioner, London Fire Brigade 
  • Michael Wright Director, Green Street Berman 
  • Olaf Barrs Deputy Chief Fire Officer, Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service 
  • Jon Hall Chief Fire Officer, Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service 
  • Chair: Peter Dartford Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service 


Aims of the conference 

  • The objective of the conference is to allow strategic managers, industry providers and sector specialists to review past initiatives to modernise and upgrade control systems with a view to making best use of future command and control systems for fire and rescue services.
  • To review previous initiatives to improve command control mobilisation systems and identify lessons learned
  • To undertake a strategic review of the modern context in which foreign rescue services operate and specifically modern pressures
  • To assess the cost-effectiveness of various models of control systems and their application to the modern fire and rescue service
  • To identify effective existing models of control systems from other sectors and their potential applicability to the UK fire and rescue service
  • To examine alternative models of control systems for the future
  • including shared command and control systems, tri-service systems and resilient controls
  • To explore the potential for merger of fire controls and their associated difficulties in implementation
  • To assess the impact of terrorism and major events on control systems
  • Senior fire, police and ambulance officers
  • Local authority councilors
  • Civil servants from the Home Office, Communities and Local Government, Health and Crime and Justice
  • Chief executives and system developers from command and control system providers

  Who should attend? 

  • Senior fire, police and ambulance officers
  • Local authority councilors
  • Civil servants from the Home Office, Communities and Local Government, Health and Crime and Justice
  • Chief executives and system developers from command and control system providers

To book your place, and for more information, please click here. 

 

Posted: 10.08am, 23.03.11