The Territory Government today launched a new Bushfires Emergency Management System (BEMS) to help improve safety outcomes for firefighters and Territorians.
This Government has worked with Telstra to develop a technological solution that will provide volunteer firefighters with the latest, real-time information about weather conditions, crew locations, fire status, permit burns and messages from Bushfires NT in the field, using tablet devices.
This solution will lead to improved safety, response times and efficiency when fighting fires, conducting planned burns or providing permits to burn.
The rollout will cover the five Bushfires NT management zones – Vernon Arafura, Arnhem, Savanna, Barkly and Alice Springs.
These devices operate on the secure NTG IT system on the Telstra mobile network and more than 25 devices are being used operationally by volunteers with more to be allocated in the near future.
An online interface, Field Connect has also been developed for volunteers and staff to access BEMS while outside of the mobile coverage area, providing automated integration and caching of data when the devices are out of mobile coverage areas – allowing firefighters to still process information offline.
