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mobile radio (PMR) technology. This can provide challenges when responding to complex and fast moving incidents. In collaboration with Airwave, CFOA is planning to explore how video-streaming technology could support an effcient and effective response for improved incident management and improved safety of frefghters. A secure communications link to the incident command location could also support information sharing to aid a multi-agency response, along with other dynamic information feeds including location information and weather forecasts. The viewing experience could include tablet computers or fxed screens on a command support vehicle aiding improved situational awareness. Video camera locations could include being mounted on fre engines and frefghter head cameras. These solutions could enhance capabilities and emergency response in the near future.

In the future, individual FRSs may be given a ‘service vs cost’ menu for critical communications, which could include items such as coverage, availability and levels of security/ encryption. For example, as more data is moved across the air, confdentiality - and therefore security and encryption - may become more important for FRSs. The national risk register drives capability requirements, and should also drive communications requirements. Achieving synergy in requirements and delivery may hopefully lead to a reduction in overall cost. However, if the cost is determined by coverage alone, then the FRSs responsible for the largest areas of low population will need the most geographic coverage - allied to potentially smaller budgets. It is, as yet, unknown how the cost vs service equation will look until the ESMCP output is further defned. Of course we will all have a wish list, headed by the continued requirement for resilient and interoperable communications across the emergency services, across the country, across a region, across a single FRS, across an incident and one-to-one at an incident.

Radios need to evolve to become as intuitive as consumer devices, with added capabilities such as the ability to record time and date-stamp audio and video for future interrogation - the equivalent of the airline industry’s black box. When appearing in court or a pseudo-court environment it can be the case that if a positive aspect of an incident isn’t recorded it is presumed not to have happened - however if it is a negative aspect of an incident and it isn’t recorded, it may be presumed to have happened!

We all need to ensure that we maintain a national communications capability so that FRSs are able to support and work with each other, and we also need the ability to share information, including risk assessments, across public safety agencies via secure databases. Above all, we need reliable critical communications provision. No one in the emergency services could accept risk being increased due to inferior communications.

With the relentless pressure on fnances, a principal driver for FRSs will be to achieve even more with today’s technology and to deliver greater operational benefts within reduced budgets.

CFOA expects greater collaboration between organisations, and more effcient use of shared resources; both technology and human platforms. Common operating procedures need to be adopted, delivering best

practice and enabling effective collaboration. Whilst the future is being developed, better and more effcient use needs to be made of the Airwave Service as well as commercial networks for both voice and data.

Communications are evolving with increasingly sophisticated technology. To ensure the most effcient use of budget going forward, it is also imperative that upcoming technology is aligned with the services required by public safety and emergency services in the future.

CFOA will work with its suppliers to achieve more with existing critical communication capabilities, reducing costs where possible whilst exploring how to most effciently leverage the technology of tomorrow. At the same time, we need to be certain that the requirements of the FRSs are well represented during ESMCP discussions - if the new critical communications service does not deliver what we all need - who will be responsible for flling in the gaps? Emergency services must now engage fully with the future communications programmes. The transition from the current Airwave Network provision to the future communications provision will be a critical period for the emergency services. CFOA advises all fre and rescue services to ensure that their risk registers record the fact that the future is uncertain and that the transition process will need to be carefully managed not just at the national level but also at the local level.