The Hodgman Liberal Government is committed to supporting our dedicated emergency service departments and we will ensure they have the best technology to help Tasmanians in need.
I am pleased to announce that Fujitsu Australia has been awarded the $6.5 million contract for the initial acquisition and implementation of the new emergency services computer aided dispatch (ESCAD) system. The contract with Fujitsu will also provide support and maintenance for five years following implementation of the system, which will bring the total cost to $15.3 million.
It is also pleasing that a local Tasmanian company, Synateq, has been engaged by Fujitsu to assist in the implementation of the project and for local on-going support. The partnership will require between two and four additional staff to be employed by Synateq, resulting in more jobs for Tasmania.
The ESCAD system will be the principal system used by the Tasmanian emergency services to manage medical, fire, police and emergency incidents from the initial notification of an incident until the conclusion of the incident.
A CAD system records information such as brief details, taskings, attending officers, comments and timings.
Currently there are three non-integrated CAD systems operating in Tasmania being Tasmania Police (TasPol), Tasmania Fire Service (TFS) and Ambulance Tasmania (AT). The State Emergency Service (SES) also operates a manual process and relies on TasPol and TFS for support.
The new ESCAD will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of our emergency response departments, resulting in increased safety for those on the frontline and more Tasmanian lives saved in emergency situations.
An integrated communications and dispatch system was a recommendation of the 2013 Bushfire Inquiry, and it has taken a majority Liberal Government to provide this important upgrade for our emergency services.
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