Kerry Civil Defence are keeping up to speed with new technologies and innovations when it comes to communications or their volunteers.
This week, the Kerry branch of Civil Defence Ireland are trialing new vehicle tracking and CAD software for call creation and resource allocation.
The new software is developed by TrekMedic based in the US.
The unit has been using various software over the past few years and are upgrading their technological infrastructure for their volunteers and vehicles based in Kerry Civil Defence.
Kerry Civil Defence 3rd Officer Seán Horgan. Photo Courtesy @SeanHorganKerry
Seán Horgan, a Paramedic with the National Ambulance Service and a serving 3rd Officer in Kerry Civil Defence spoke with Declan Keogh on EmergencyTimes.ie and outlined what’s involved in the new software.
“We’re trying to streamline the number of calls coming into us, obviously with Covid there are a lot of calls coming in from the different agencies and also in terms of our duties and how we allocate resources, medical duties, ambulances, motorcycle, bicycles, RRV’s etc.”
Kerry Civil Defence have been using a number of different platforms over the last few years, and are now looking at how to capture and review data on incidents afterwards, and where they can look back retrospectively and have a log of that.
“In terms of software, it’s an online programme which is fantastic so there’s no downloadable programmes as such. In terms of hardware for ourselves, we are lucky enough that mobile phone units bought for us by Kerry County Council and the software itself works on android platforms and we’re looking at other technologies and their capabilities.”
Civil Defence units around the country respond to carious call-outs to assist gardaí and other rescue agencies. In relation to operational duties such as search and rescue, search and recovery or missing persons for example, Kerry Civil Defence already have resource tracking which can work for those types of callouts.
Pics courtesy @KYCivilDefence and @SeanHorganKerry
Third Officer Horgan said: “We do have resource tracing and that can work for persons on foot and we’re able to display the legends, we’re looking at other resources whether its on foot or the Cycle Response Unit, an ambulance, an RRV etc and we can keep a track of them and its as much for a staff locator and welfare programme too and if another incident or call comes in we can identify their location and divert them to another call if that comes in” he said.
Kerry Civil Defence are the first agency in Ireland to use and trial this software. “Costing is always a factor and there’s fantastic data reporting which we can systematically review incidents or calls and get a quick summary of calls very quick.”
Listen to full audio of interview between Declan Keogh and Seán Horgan on Emergency Times here:
