How the Emergency Communications Centre (ECC) Works.

Within the Communications Centre, each Service has its own dedicated staff for call taking and dispatch, thus retaining the professionalism and expertise of each service, whilst sharing common facilities and infrastructure such as the telephone computer systems. The main control room is one large room on the first floor of the purpose built building in London Road. Operators from all three services share the same room but occupy discrete sections and are clearly uniformed in their ‘Service’ colours.

Whilst there is a great deal of collaboration within the room, the work station for each Service is clustered in groups to ease communications with the specific Emergency Service. A number of offices surround the large open plan room, including rest rooms and facilities that can be used for meetings, or in the event of a major incident by our partners e.g. in the local authority.

On the ground floor, there are large meeting rooms and a conference facility, the computer server room, rest facilities, showers and changing rooms and more offices.

Each of the three emergency services has an ECC Manager, who is the senior representative able to collaborate and maximise the efficiency of the centre.

...but that's not all!

The Wiltshire Joint Services Project is much more than just one project - we are exploring a number of different ways in which to deliver our own emergency services more effectively:

Sharing Sites

• Another collaboration initiative allows Wiltshire Ambulance crews to use fire stations for standby purposes in order to be in strategic locations to meet the predicted workload. Ambulance crews have use of all facilities on the fire stations where previously they were required to sit in their vehicle.

Shared Air Ambulance

• The Wiltshire Air Ambulance and Police Helicopter is a joint service between Wiltshire Constabulary and Wiltshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust. See www.wiltsamb.nhs.uk for more details

Shared Skills

• Many fire stations in Wiltshire have been equipped with defibrillators that are used to support the Ambulance Service attendance at appropriate incidents when Ambulance resources are already committed to other incidents. Fire crews have received full training room Ambulance personnel in the use of defibrillators enabling them to provide an effective response until the arrival of full time Ambulance crews.

What makes the ECC efficient?

999 calls are still received by telephone operating companies such at BT. The caller is then asked which service is required. The call is then directed to the caller’s requested service in Wiltshire.

When the location of the incident is input in the new command and control system – it is matched against a mapping information system.

When the type and location of the incident are recorded this information can be shared with the other emergency services within the shared room.

The other services can also assess how their resources can be deployed, tasking them if they have enough information.

Information is also shared more easily once crews have reached the scene to increase efficiency and effectiveness.