Motorola Solutions fires up WA's emergency services in $7M dispatch deal

Motorola Solutions has been awarded a $7 million deal to deploy a new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system for Western Australia’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services.

The upgrade is part of the WA Government’s State ICT Strategy, which aims to align technology and business functions to improve service delivery to the community.

The new contract sees the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services join the Western Australia Police (WAPOL) in using Motorola Solutions’ PremierOne CAD technology platform.

The PremierOne CAD platform integrates critical information between agency databases, command centres and frontline officers working in the field.

The latest deal follows the WA Police’s original investment of $11 million in August 2015 to upgrade its CAD platform with Motorola Solutions.

It is anticipated that, with both government entities now using the same platform, it will create more opportunities for collaboration between the state’s fire and emergency services and police for coordinated incident response in the future.

Such CAD systems provide an important information hub between public safety agencies and the public, including triple-zero calls.

The system Motorola Solutions is rolling out is expected to offer new and enhanced features to the WA Fire and Emergency Services, which will enable instant and precise mapping, dispatch and hazard information personnel.

Vice president and general manager for Motorola Solutions Australia and New Zealand, Steve Crutchfield, said the CAD systems would provide full support for daily operations for DFES and WAPOL and can be ramped up to support peak events and emergencies.

“Placing the right information into the hands of first responders leads to better, faster and more accurate decision making in critical moments,” Crutchfield said.

“The PremierOne CAD technology platform will help DFES to manage their resources more efficiently so frontline officers can be deployed quickly and effectively to protect their communities,” he said.

The contract win comes as Motorola Solutions faces delays to its $58.3 million Apple device rollout for the Victoria Police, which is set to be pushed back until the end of the year.

Motorola Solutions won the $58.3 million contract in March, leading a consortium, which includes Optus, CompNow and its own Gridstone, to deliver the project.