ESCAD system roll-out

The Department of Emergency Services’ roll-out of a state-of-the-art dispatch system for the remaining Central and South-Eastern regions will be put on hold awaiting advice from the system’s US supplier, Emergency Services Minister Neil Roberts said.

Mr Roberts said the US supplier was being asked to analyse the potential cause for an unscheduled outage of the Emergency Services Computer Aided Dispatch system at 2am today.

“I am advised Triple Zero telephone and emergency services radio communications were not affected by this incident. Communication centre staff dispatched ambulance and fire crews using a manual back-up system,” Mr Roberts said.

“I would like to pay tribute to the professionalism of communication centre staff for immediately reverting to the manual system.”

“At 4am today, technicians undertook scheduled maintenance on the system and the system was operational again at approximately 5am today.”

“The Department of Emergency Services has introduced strengthened protocols after three outages in the last fortnight were attributed to intervention by technicians.”

“While advice is being sought on the outage today, I have asked for the planned roll-out to the communication centres for the Central and South Eastern region at Rockhampton and Southport to be put on hold.”

The Department has briefed union representatives for ambulance and fire and rescue services on the proposed actions.

Mr Roberts said the ESCAD system was in use in communication centres across the world, including Australia and all of New Zealand’s emergency services. DES remains confident that its full implementation will result in improved response to calls for service from the community.

“ESCAD provides a single dispatch system for ambulance and fire and rescue services, replacing the three separate systems that have previously operated.”

1 July 2008
Media contact: Kirby Anderson 3247 8194