Rescue service installs cameras on their command vehicles
A network-based camera solution from Axis streamlines the work of the emergency services and helps to save lives.
Mission
Landskrona Fire and Rescue Service in Sweden wanted to streamline and enhance the quality of its work in order to improve its rescue operations, and to better manage incidents.
Solution
Incendium provided a streaming solution with its IncidentShare software and the AXIS Q6215-LE PTZ network camera for a selected command vehicle. Images from the camera are transmitted in real time to the emergency services command and control centre, a service leased by RC South, part of Region South Fire and Rescue Service. In this way, the command and control centre has a better understanding of the situation at the scene of the accident. The command and control centre can provide better advice and assistance to the incident command, such as whether it needs to send reinforcements to the fire or to the scene of the accident, for example, as well as contact authorities and/or external experts, if necessary.
Result
The solution has streamlined the work of the emergency services. Communication from the command and control centre is faster, with better advice, allowing the incident task force to make better decisions quicker, which helps to save lives and property.
More efficient rescue operations to fight fires and prevent and deal with accidents
When the alarm sounds from the loudspeakers at the fire stations at any time of the day, fast and effective responses are crucial for the emergency services to best perform rescue operations in the event of accidents and fire, reduce injuries to people and damage to property, and ultimately save lives.
Creating better and more efficient command and control
Landskrona Fire and Rescue Service wanted to streamline and improve the quality of its rescue operations, and was looking for a functioning camera solution for its command vehicle.
The solution should provide faster and better overall command and control of the rescue work, as well as decision data for more efficient rescue and relief operations. The command and control centre and the incident command should have a better situational understanding to assist the decision-making process, which is particularly valuable in stressful and challenging situations.
Sometimes we cannot handle everything that happens all at once when we arrive at the scene of an accident. We needed a solution to allow the command and control centre to provide us with better support, says David Sköld, Incident Command Officer, Landskrona Fire and Rescue Service.
Sometimes you get stressed and might speak in incomplete sentences. In which case, it would be good for both the command and control centre and ourselves to see the same event in real time to get a shared understanding. This means that we can quickly make the right decision, which can be of critical, life-saving importance.
The biggest challenge was for the solution to work technically, which was not the case with previous solutions.
We were very particular about finding the right partners, says David Sköld.
The camera sees everything. It is of supreme quality and has a great IR sight. You can see for almost 400 metres in the pitch dark. It's simply fantastic! The incredibly sharp image quality in the dark means that the command and control centre can even see things before we do
Reliable solution
Incendium, specialists in secure solutions for live video streaming, installed a streaming service with its IncidentShare software and the AXIS Q6215-LE PTZ network camera.
A camera is mounted on the roof of the incident command vehicle so that the command and control centre can watch and follow the sequence of events and the emergency call-out on site, without being in direct contact with and dependent on the emergency call-out personnel. AXIS Lightfinder technology. allows the camera to capture and record colour images in the dark, without external lighting, which is an advantage for accidents and fire at night. The HDTV quality camera is connected to a microphone and has a 360-degree view. All data traffic is encrypted.
Video from the camera is transmitted in real time to the emergency services command and control centre, which can then conduct operations with the rescue team ‘out in the field’. The command and control centre is a service leased by Registry Centre South, part of Region South Fire and Rescue Service.
The camera sees everything. It is of supreme quality and has a great IR sight. You can see for almost 400 metres in the pitch dark. It's simply fantastic! The incredibly sharp image quality in the dark means that the command and control centre can even see things before we do, says David Sköld.
The camera is reliable, robust and weather-resistant, and can withstand shocks and vibration.
The camera can handle both the speed and the rain, which is incredibly good, says David Sköld.
David Sköld also highlights the good cooperation with Incendium:
Incendium's support staff are very knowledgeable and fast.
When the camera on the command vehicle shows the sequence of events to the command and control centre, it can come to the aid of the incident command and the incident task force with advice and assistance and, if necessary, send reinforcements in the form of personnel and vehicles.
The solution is easy to use. Using the camera, the command and control centre can also assess and analyse the risks of the potential development of an accident or fire.
Having the camera is like having an extra pair of eyes. We have the eyes of the command and control centre on site immediately from when we arrive at the scene of the accident. They can see the extent of the accident and provide assistance immediately, even before we get the chance to ask for it.
Better for citizens
The emergency services have experienced an increase in the quality of work, with increased efficiency.
I am very happy, says David Sköld. The camera solution works extremely well, and has done so not least from a technical point of view. It provides very good image quality, even when we travel at high speed.
We provide better support for citizens and can provide a better service to society, says David Sköld.
The camera is also an important part of the learning process, where the emergency services learn and benefit from various incidents and accidents, such as when assessing and investigating fire scenes. The solution enables improved analysis of events to determine how a fire started, the ability to log the sequence of events and to facilitate the coordination of rescue and relief operations. It is also valuable later in the process if there is a subsequent fire cause investigation, usually initiated by the police, in which the images and video are used.
In the next stage, David Sköld envisages that more fire engines and rescue vehicles will be equipped with cameras in order to increase the safety of all of the municipality's inhabitants, and in order to save more lives.
About
Landskrona Fire and Rescue Service
Landskrona Fire and Rescue Service carries out accident rescue operations in Landskrona and Sövalöv in southern Sweden, in order to prevent and deal with fires in apartment blocks and houses, road traffic accidents, drowning incidents, and other types of accidents.
The emergency service also offers training courses in fire protection and first aid to companies, organisations and schools, as well as training, information, and advice to the general public.
In total, Landskrona Fire and Rescue Service employs around 60 people: firefighters, task force leaders, incident command officers, fire engineers, and office staff.
Every year, Landskrona Fire and Rescue Service is called out to approximately 700-750 alarm call outs.
The solution
AXIS network camera Q6215-LE PTZ
- Robust PTZ camera (Pan, Tilt, Zoom) with built-in infrared lighting
- Provides perfect image quality with rapid pan, tilt and zoom
- A half-inch sensor that provides high light sensitivity and dynamics
- Optimised IR up to 400 metres, with infrared lighting adapted to the current zoom setting
- Compatible with MIL-STD-810G
- HDTV 1080P resolution, WDR, Lightfinder and 30x optical zoom, which provide outstanding video quality, both in low light and in total darkness, at up to 400 metres distance
- Flexible design that allows the camera to be mounted facing up or down, directly on a surface, or with a wall bracket or post bracket
- Includes a wiper to remove water
- Perfectly suitable for surveillance of open spaces such as airports, ports, or areas outside buildings and houses
- Thanks to the robust design, the camera withstands harsh weather conditions, including wind speeds of up to 245 km/h
IncidentShare
- Software for secure transmission of video in real time
- Adapted for the emergency services and police, who want a platform where they can view live streaming from vehicles, body cameras, drones, and other types of mobile cameras (fire-fighting robots or similar)
- Provides the facility to receive live video from informants who call 112. The emergency call centre can send an SMS with a URL link to the informant and via the link get access to the mobile phone's camera and see what the informant is trying to describe in words.
- Three simultaneous viewers of the video images
- Encrypted video transmission
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