Capita has bagged a five-year contract worth £788k from North Wales Fire and Rescue Service (NWFRS) to support its transition to the latest emergency services network (ESN) with its DS3000 integrated communication control system.

According to the UK-based business process outsourcing company, the DS3000 software solution will help North Wales Fire and Rescue Service in the transformation of its control room operations. Besides, the integrated communication control system will help in maintaining connectivity to the present Airwave emergency network and also the ESN after it is available.

Capita will also offer a completely managed support service as part of the contract.

Paul Eggleton – Capita Secure Solutions and Services managing director said: “Capita is the leading provider of communications platforms to the UK’s emergency services. This new partnership with North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is built on our expertise and digital innovation in the emergency services sector.”

DS3000 consists of an ESN-ready ‘dispatch communication server’ interface that will let North Wales Fire and Rescue Service to connect to the latest ‘stepping stone’ the new system to maintain communications that are mission-critical.

The integrated communication control system from Capita comes with a single touchscreen control capability to provide a unified platform for both telephone and radio communications, which are important for operations in the control room.

Capita said that its software is expected to provide a resilient service that is replicated across the main as well as ‘fall-back’ control rooms.

The DS3000 will facilitate access to a third out-of-area site apart from connecting the two control rooms sites. This will enhance telephone resilience and boost the technical capacity of the control room as a whole.

Richard Fairhead – North Wales Fire and Rescue Service assistant chief fire officer said: “We are going through an important transition for our control room operations that will help improve services and increase operational effectiveness. Capita’s solution will not only support us in delivering services but will futureproof us for ESN as well as other technical and operational changes on the horizon.”

Capita has been providing integrated and advanced systems to emergency services for more than three decades. Its solutions are said to be applied in more than 100 control rooms including police, fire and rescue, ambulance trusts, British Transport Police, Highways England, HM Coastguard, and Ministry of Defence Police.

  DS3000 software, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, NWFRS, Paul Eggleton, Richard Fairhead, Wales