Accessible version   |   Legal   |   Contact   |   Sitemap
FRS Online
 
Saturday 17 May 2008

Firelink News

 

Firelink is a vital investment in the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) radio communications system.

Firelink home

Project overview

Latest news

Frequently Asked Questions

Contact us

Further information

Minisite Terms of Use

Visit this section of FRS Online regularly for the latest update on the progress of the Firelink rollout and what the project team is getting up to.

 

May 2008

[back to top]

Firelink progress rolling

Phase A roll-out is now well under way in England and Scotland; with Wales still in the planning stage. Within England, between 70-90% (depending on region) of the resilient radio network is now built; almost all control rooms have now had their Firelink terminal equipment fitted; and last month the process was started of fitting out eight vehicles per FRS with Firelink to help gain familiarisation with the equipment.

After an initial learning process, the installation work has been conducted broadly on time and to a very high standard. Phase A is due for completion by August, once testing has finished in the last of the regions (East of England).  Phase B, involving the roll-out of Airwave radios to the remaining vehicles in each FRS, is due to be completed by mid 2009.

April 2008

[back to top]

First Firelink Fit

The first fit of Firelink equipment in FRS appliances

In mid March, Airwave's contractor telent installed 5 Dennis Sabre TVAC appliances in the Tyne and Wear FRS, as a trail run of the one day fit out.

The appliances were fitted out with a SAN 'A', a PBVT and the SAN 'E' enclosure with just the screen and its relevant cabling left to fit. The vehicle design document related to the installations very well. There were some minor deviations, which were managed efficiently on site between Tyne and Wear FRS and telent.

The rollout was scheduled over four days, starting on Monday and the final vehicle was completed on the Thursday morning. The vehicle testing was complete in reasonable time and included a full pump running test of the PBVT. The approximate time of installation and testing per vehicle was 7.5 hour, which left time for any problems that might need addressing at the end of the day.

The fitment of the equipment was completed to a very high standard and the FRS is very happy. Thanks need to go to telent for an excellent job and to the Tyne and Wear FRS without who, none of this would have been possible.

March 2008

[back to top]

The final stages of the first region's testing

The final stages of the first region’s testing

The testing of Firelink equipment in existing control rooms in has now reached its final stage in the English FRS. There are two parts to this final stage of testing. Once both are complete a sample of up to 8 vehicles with different specs will be fitted with Firelink wide area radios.

The first region to operate the new Firelink system using the sample vehicles will be Wiltshire and Devon around April 2008. The more regions that complete testing and have vehicles fitted the more resilient and interoperable the FRS will become in England.

LGA Fire conference and exhibition

Firelink was represented on the Communities and Local Government stand at the Local Government Association Fire conference and exhibition this year in March. The theme of the event was building resilience in the context of responding to environmental change and the impact on the FRS.

The FiReControl project was a running theme in the event, which will replace the 46 present control rooms in England with nine interlinked regional control centres. Also significant in the event’s theme was examples of how the New Dimension equipment has supported the FRS during extreme weather conditions in the last year, including the Gloucestershire floods in July 2007.

The Fire Minster, Parmjit Dhanda gave a speech on the priorities of fire policy for the coming year. During question time the minister referred to the wide area communications network, known as Firelink, as a benefit linked with the FiReControl project. Firelink is a critical enabler for the FiReControl project, providing the technology in control rooms, appliances and officer cars that will help control rooms manage resources more effectively.

February 2008

[back to top]

FiReControl leads online

The FiReControl website has been updated and can now be found at www.communities.gov.uk/firecontrol. This marks a significant step towards the drive towards an integrated approach for the three projects (New Dimension, Firelink and FiReControl) in the Fire and Resilience programme, funded by Communities and Local Government. Each project developed an independent online presence from the outset to inform stakeholders about the developments in the projects. The FiReControl move to http://www.communities.gov.uk/ leads the way in England for a single programme message online. With delivery for all of the projects underway, 2008 is the time to bring together the messages online to provide a clear and integrated approach for readers.

An update to the Firelink area of the communities website is planned soon. Watch here for the latest news about Firelink online.

January 2008

[back to top]

Firelink is put to the test                    

The new Firelink wide-area communications network and infrastructure is now going through extensive testing by Airwave, to ensure it meets the exacting requirements of the FRS. Test environments have been designed to match the technical setup of existing FRS control rooms as closely as possible.

A range of control room scenarios are being played out to cover the different operational functions performed by FRS radio systems.

Current radio systems will run alongside Firelink, as it rolls out on a phased basis to fire vehicles across England, Scotland and Wales. During this period fire vehicles can be contacted either on the old or new systems. On successful completion of the rollout, legacy systems can be decommissioned.

The Firelink radio system will be tested in each fire and rescue service during the rollout, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2009.

December 2007

[back to top]

Firelink progress report

The planning and preparation phase for Firelink has proven an excellent foundation for rolling out the first of two phases for Scotland and Wales, and the first of three phases in England. The project is now about half way through the first phase: i.e. the fitting of Firelink equipment into legacy control rooms in England. This control room equipment will support wide area radio communications using the Airwave Service and, once the second phase of Firelink is complete will lead to the installation of Firelink equipment into fire appliances and officers cars.

Fire and Rescue Services that have already received this first wave of Firelink equipment are reported to be pleased with the quality of work and products delivered. Design work for the initial phase in London, Scotland and Wales will take longer due to the nature of the more complex fit-outs. Good progress is being made.

The training of fire and rescue service trainers is going well. Negotiations are underway to provide more training equipment to support the trainers with their task.

A realistic rollout schedule has now been agreed between the FRS, the project team and the contractor. Firelink remains on track to complete in 2009.

November 2007

[back to top]

Listening to the FRS and meeting the needs

The Interim Solutions Task Force has recently completed two rounds of visits to the FRS, with the aim of identifying and mitigating any concerns there may be about the Firelink interim solution. Working along side the Firelink contractor, Airwave, the Task Force gave a detailed presentation to FRS representatives.

During the visits the FRS representatives had the opportunity to identify whether the information presented addressed the concerns and any local requirements for the interim solution. The feedback given for the information and solutions provided has been very positive. Much reassurance has been gained by the successful tour of the Interim Solution Task Force.

October 2007

[back to top]

Firelink becomes reality

Firelink equipment appears in FRS legacy control rooms.

The Firelink rollout is going well. Significant progress has been made with the installation of Firelink radios into fire and rescue service legacy control rooms. The standard of the subcontractor work is reported as excellent. Telent has undertaken the installation work and Motorola has supplied the terminal equipment.  A total of 26 control rooms have now been fitted with the Firelink radios and 30 are remaining.

The project schedule is currently under review to identify a lower risk rollout programme. This revision to the schedule will provide a more realistic timescale for Airwave and the subcontractors to complete preparatory work. The revised schedule will also enable the FRS to plan their resources with greater confidence.

The first region to be fully Firelink operational is scheduled for the first quarter of 2008. Once fire and rescue services begin to receive the full Firelink installation, they will benefit from greatly improved voice quality on their wide area radios. The quality of Firelink voice communications has already received great feedback from the regions that have already experienced what Firelink has to offer.

September 2007

[back to top]

Training the trainers in the FRS

Training of FRS personnel is a key element in successfully implementing the Firelink project. The project is delivering a wide area digital communications system for the Fire and Rescue Service in England, Scotland and Wales. It will link FRS control rooms with mobile fire vehicles.

A training plan, developed by the Firelink project team and the supplier, Airwave, aims to cascade Firelink training through the FRS, with minimal impact on the day to day operations. FRS trainers will receive training before vehicle installations begin in each region.

Training Needs Analysis

A Training Needs Analysis (TNA) was conducted by an independent company to identify FRS training requirements, using questionnaires and structured interviews in eight selected fire and rescue services. Postal questionnaires were sent out to all fire and rescue services. The TNA has determined the numbers of staff to be trained, their roles and responsibilities, and the scope of the training necessary to ensure the maximum benefit from Firelink.

Training the FRS Trainers to use Firelink.

Firelink User Groups

Firelink users have been categorised into six groups, each will have a training course designed to meet their specific needs:

  • Operational users
  • Control users
  • System managers
  • Maintenance staff
  • Fleetmapping managers
  • Firelink project members

Training Course Units

The training course units will include the following core competencies:

  • Airwave overview and Firelink system functionality
  • Radio terminals
  • UHF (Ultra High Frequency) radio cross band repeater (where necessary)
  • Mobile Data Terminal (MDT)
  • Control room radio interface (interim) and equipment
  • Airwave system fallback
  • Mobile data user
  • Service management use
  • Fleetmap build and management
  • Fault reporting procedures

Quality Assurance

The FRS trainers will be evaluated to assess the effectiveness of the training they deliver to the FRS. Feedback will help in the continual improvement of the training programme.

August 2007

[back to top]

FIRELINK CONNECTS

The Force will be with you again soon.

The Firelink Interim Task Force plans 2nd round of visits to FRS.

Following the initial round of visits by the Interim Solutions Task Force and work done with the Firelink contractor, Airwave Solutions to find mitigations for any concerns that have been raised by fire and rescue services, we are now ready to make a second round of visits to you in the FRS. The Task Force will give an update on the team’s work, talk through additional information concerning the Airwave service and discuss possible enhancements to the core provision under the Firelink contract.

The plan is to meet up with each FRS on a regional or sub-regional basis, where possible joining up with existing meeting dates so as not to inconvenience FRS personnel or use up any more time than necessary.

At the meetings it is anticipated that there will be the need for a Principal Officer from each FRS to attend, along with managers who are involved in Control Room Operations. Other FRS personnel may be required for setting up new Operational Procedures or staff training and Control room or IT managers could also be needed.

The Interim Solutions Task Force will be represented by at least one Firelink technical person, a fire and rescue service person and possibly a person from Airwave. In larger regions at least two individual FRS sessions are scheduled to run concurrently with different Interim Solution Task Force members to reduce the elapsed time.

For further information about the Interim Solution and Task Force please select a link below or contact your local FRS Firelink representative:

Supporting Background Information on the work of the Interim Solutions Task Force

FAQs about the Firelink interim solution:

What is the Firelink interim solution?

What will it provide?

What about the special requirements of my FRS?

Why not introduce the full Firelink solution straight away, like London, Scotland and Wales?

How long with the interim solution be in place for?

Why not introduce Firelink when fire and rescue services cut over to RCCs?

Doesn’t this interim solution add to the burden of ‘modernisation’ in my FRS?

July 2007

[back to top]

FIRELINK CONNECTS

On Friday 29 June the Firelink National Project Manager, Ashley Truluck announced that Wiltshire and Avon fire and rescue services have completed their legacy control room installations of Firelink, in preparation for fitting Firelink equipment into officer vehicles and appliances. The final vehicle installations in these regions will result in Firelink becoming regionally operationally in the summer of 2008.

The National Project Manager expressed pleasure in announcing that "The two primary control

Firelink completes the first existing control room install.

rooms have just made their first Firelink test call over the Airwave Service, a significant achievement in the progression of this project. Voice quality has been reported to be excellent and both control rooms are very pleased with the standard of installation work."

Extensive work is ongoing between the Firelink project team in the regions, the fire and rescue services and the Firelink contractor, Airwave to ensure individual FRS needs are met and that the installation of the Firelink interim  solution will be suitably installed and operational in England, prior to final completion by the end of 2009.

May 2007

[back to top]

Firelink on show

Fire and rescue services in and around Birmingham during May had the opportunity to take part in the first ever set of Firelink demonstrations. The supplier for Firelink, Airwave Solutions Limited, fitted out a fire appliance on loan from Royal Berkshire FRS with prototype Firelink equipment.

The appliance started the tour of England and Wales in April, visiting on its route the Birmingham NEC for the Fire and Rescue 2007 exhibition and has returned home to Royal Berkshire at the beginning of this month. Fire and rescue personnel were able to get first hand experience of what Firelink will be like and how it could change the way they operate. The appliance was well received and many positive comments were given about the quality of voice communications; one of the core benefits that Firelink will bring fire and rescue services.

The message is spreading beyond the immediate fire community that the FRS is receiving a massive investment to bring its wide area communications technology up to modern day standards. There has been significant media interest in the demonstration appliance and the Firelink project team thanks everyone involved in supporting the briefings and interviews.

April 2007

[back to top]

Firelink has a new online home

The new internet home for Firelink - a mini site at FRSOnline

With the completion of Milestone One, Firelink will now start to have a direct impact on the daily activity of fire and rescue services. Each Regional Delivery Team is providing support to their regions during this critical time. To provide you with a quick point of reference for the latest development on the project progress, the Firelink website has been migrated here to FRSOnline.

The legacy online home for Firelink contained much useful information, which has been transferred to this new home. The content has been updated and new features and functionality added to make it easier to find the information you want about Firelink. Something to look forward to, which will be added shortly, is a range of Frequently Asked Questions that will provide you with greater insight into the Firelink solution.

Any feedback, requests or recommendations you may have about this new Firelink mini site will be gratefully received, please email your comments to Graham Ward.

March 2007

[back to top]

One step for Public Safety, one big step for Firelink

Ashley Truluck, Firelink's National Project Manager confirmed on Friday 16 March that Milestone One documentation has been signed with the contractor, O2 Airwave. This important junction sees the end of the planning and documentation phase of the project and heralds the start of Phase A, with three regions primed to start the Firelink rollout in these coming months. Phase A will see the upgrade of existing network resilience and the installation of Firelink equipment into the Fire and Rescue Service legacy control rooms.

November 2006

[back to top]

Operational Continuity

A number of measures have been put in place to minimise the impact of any legacy system technical failure either prior to or during any part of the Firelink rollout programme. Firelink is planned to deliver in discrete phases; within each region, the supplier will not commence rollout of Phase B until Phase A has been completed and accepted. Legacy equipment will not be decommissioned until Firelink operation has been proven.

The Firelink project team is supporting the operational maintenance of legacy wide area radio equipment in England and Wales through its Operational Continuity (OpCon) programme. High risk items of legacy equipment have already been replaced under Phase 1 and Phase 2 of OpCon. Phase 2, which managed the residual risks from the initial phase, was successfully completed in March 2006.

Subsequently another round of risk assessment has been carried out and several items, identified as high risk, will be replaced under Phase 3. The Phase 3 contract was awarded to Arqiva in October 2006 with completion planned for end of March 2007. This is expected to maintain the legacy systems till at least 2009, co-incident with the completion of Firelink Phase B rollout.

October 2006

[back to top]

Due Diligence Visits for the FRS

Visiting individual fire and rescue services will pave the way for Firelink to meet their diffferent needs

The Firelink Regional Delivery Teams have been busily building relationships in their region with fire and rescue services and the supplier, O2 Airwave.

The first phase of rollout entails fitting the Firelink system to existing control rooms and a small number of fire and rescue service vehicles for testing and assurance.

In order to ascertain the individual fire and rescue service needs for the first phase, O2 Airwave are currently in the process of carrying out Due Diligence Visits that will last between 3 and 5 days. Once the visits have been completed, O2 Airwave will produce Individual Detailed Design Specifications outlining how delivery will be implemented. Both the FRS and the Firelink project team will need to confirm their acceptance of the proposed work before it proceeds.

July 2006

[back to top]

Firelink contract signed

The Firelink project team is pleased to announce that the National Assembly for Wales and Scottish Ministers have signed up to the Firelink contract. The new radio system will be rolled out to fire and rescue services in England, Scotland and Wales by the end of 2009.

March 2006

[back to top]

Firelink contract awarded to O2 Airwave

Fire Minister Jim Fitzpatrick today announced that ODPM had let the Firelink contract to O2 Airwave. The contract, valued at £350m in England, will see O2 Airwave deliver a new radio system across England from 2007.

December 2005

[back to top]

Appointment of new Firelink Senior User

Following the retirement of Bernie Cahill, John Anthony has been appointed as Firelink's Senior User and Chair of the Principal Users Group. John is an Assistant Commissioner with the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, where he has served for over thirty one years.  His current responsibility is Operational Response, which includes mobilising and the regional control room, incident communications, operational staff deployment and industrial relations.

John is also a Regional Project Director for both Firelink and FiReControl, having served as a member of Firelink's Principal Users Group and FiReControl's Senior Operations Group for some time.

November 2005

[back to top]

Jim Fitzpatrick selects preferred bidder

Fire Minister, Jim Fitzpatrick announced today that telecommunications company Airwave O2 Limited (O2 Airwave) has been chosen as the preferred bidder for the Firelink contract, subject to the satisfactory completion of the final details.

October 2005

[back to top]

Firelink moves towards contract award

Negotiations have been completed and contract award is expected for November 2005. The new radio system is scheduled to rollout from 2007. The complex and demanding negotiations have been carried out in an atmosphere of cooperation and with the full involvement of the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS).

To facilitate rollout, England, Scotland and Wales will be divided into eleven regions, each with their own dedicated Regional Delivery Team. The additional FRS representatives will work as Regional Coordination Managers in the teams, alongside Regional Delivery Managers.

Regions with five or less individual fire and rescue services will have teams comprising one Area Delivery Manager and one Area Delivery Coordinator; those with more than five individual fire and rescue services will have one Regional Delivery Manager and two Regional Coordination Managers.       

The decision by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly Government to benefit from the experience of FRS personnel during the implementation phase, and to dedicate a delivery team to each FRS region, highlights commitment to ensuring that the FRS is directly involved in the coordination, planning and successful delivery of Firelink.

April 2005

[back to top]

Firelink contract - Best and Final Offers

Firelink issued its invitation to submit Best and Final Offers to its short listed suppliers on 18 March, and responses were received on 15 April 2005.

June 2004

[back to top]

NTL formally withdraw

NTL have formally withdrawn as a possible prime contractor for the Firelink procurement.

February 2004

[back to top]

Suppliers short listed for Firelink

The short listed suppliers for the Firelink contract are:

  • Airwave O2 Limited
  • Cogent Defence and Security Networks Limited
  • NTL

Article Date: 1st December 2006