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ii | Reach Issue 5 2013

elcome to the Summer 2013 edition of Reach. Hopefully the sun will be shining when you read this, but as we know from experience, there are no guarantees with the British weather – two of our articles demonstrate just that. We take a look at how the British Red Cross helped communities in crisis due to severe ooding and heavy snow, and how our committed eld engineers ensured the Network remained fully operational during unseasonal blizzards.

The one thing that is common across all our customers is the commitment to delivering the best possible service to the public. Whether it’s the emergency services directly involved in saving lives, or the Environment Agency ghting against y tippers and pollution, we are proud that the Airwave Network supports you all, and we are delighted to pro le the fantastic work that you do.

We’ve started a new series in this edition called Sharing Best Practices, where we focus on how our customers use the Airwave Service to best effect – there are great examples from Police Scotland, the Highways Agency and Cheshire Police. Please let us know if you would like your organisation to be featured in Reach.

Airwave is a company built on technical and service excellence. With the increasing focus on the use of technology by the emergency services, we are working closely with a wide range of organisations to ensure that we understand future needs and can deliver accordingly. The vision for and requirements of tomorrow are stated in some detail in two new reports on the Police and the Fire and Rescue Services – see pages 18 and 20-22 for details. As always, we welcome your feedback – please contact the team at reach@airwavesolutions.co.uk. Sue Quigley, Editor

A limited number of printed copies of Reach are available – please let us know if you would like extra copies.

Corporate Communications Manager

Sue Jones Editor in Chief

Helen Bleasdale Reporter

Media Relations Manager

Emergency services cost savings

The advance of paperless policing

Focus on Greater Manchester Police

Breaking down the barriers

Our guest writer Joe Halanen, Chairman of the Multi Agency Airwave User Group, looks at how rst responders can work together effectively

Protecting the world around us

The tireless work of the Environment Agency

Our engineers report from snowbound corners of the country

Sharing Best Practices

Airwave chosen charity

We catch up with the work of the Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance

Spotlight on Surrey Police

A masterclass in multi-agency co-operation

The future of policing?

A new report looks at tomorrow’s technology needs

A prole on the work of Airwave’s Major Incident Management team

The evolution of the Fire and Rescue Service

A new report from the Chief Fire Ofcers’ Association considers the challenges of the future

Airwave chosen charity

The 70th anniversary of the Fire Fighters Charity

Controlling communications

Looking at lessons learned

Success in New South Wales

Smart grids and special solutions

The British Red Cross

Helping people in crisis

Working with The Netherlands network

Airwave chosen charity

– a new look for Embrace CVOC

©Airwave Solutions Ltd. All rights reserved. AIRWAVE and the AIRWAVE logo are registered trademarks of Airwave Solutions Ltd No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying and recording, without permission. To the extent permitted at law, no responsibility or liability can be accepted by Airwave Solutions Ltd, the Editor, or contributors for action taken as a result of information contained in this publication. The views expressed in this publication by any contributor are not necessarily those of the Editor and or Airwave Solutions Ltd. Readers should obtain speci c advice and or information when dealing with speci c situations. Published by Fonthill Creative, Jesses Farm, Snow Hill, Dinton, Salisbury SP3 5HN. Tel: 01722 717057.

Front page image: Ambulance paramedics from the Scottish Ambulance Service – see page 26