CASE STUDY

Industry Sector - Government

Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service Implements FireWatch as Brigade-wide Solution

Scenario:

Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service was seeking a solution to replace a legacy personnel database as well as an electronic method for monitoring and recording training to improve service quality and safety standards in line with Government expectations.

Background:

FireWatch delivers a competency-based HRM system incorporating all of the principles outlined in the competency framework for the Fire Service, as endorsed by the Joint Training Committee of the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council. These require that all stages of recruitment, promotion and task execution performance be judged against objective measurements of competency.

FireWatch meets these requirements because it is designed to support the human resource management processes within a Brigade, rather than simply recording personnel activities. It integrates all areas of human resource activity to support complex manpower availability planning and will allow graphical reporting of performance outcomes against competency standards.

Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service selected FireWatch, from Infographics, as their solution of choice for three key reasons:

  • FireWatch provides an integrated solution for competency-based safety and HRM
  • FireWatch comes in departmental modules which can be bought individually or rolled out across all core areas to provide one seamless, Brigade-wide solution
  • FireWatch meets with Home Office reporting requirements

Implementation:

Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service has implemented FireWatch across all key departmental areas, taking advantage of its full functionality when deployed as a Brigade-wide solution. As a result, it has benefited from the integration of its personnel, training, competency management, rota-planning and safety functions.

Business Benefits:

Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service has gained:

  • Increased operational efficiency
  • Time and cost savings
  • Simplified working practices
  • Improved team-working across working groups and departments
  • Improved management of computerised recording systems

Jon Ball, IT Manager at Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service, said: “FireWatch, by enabling improved communications and collaboration, has fused a tighter knit team of those responsible for health and safety, personnel, training, competency management and rota planning.

“FireWatch has also reduced the time that is taken up with maintaining existing computerised recording systems through the provision of an integrated system for recording of personnel details and the production of associated correspondence.”

Technical Overview:

FireWatch is built using Microsoft’s component-based architecture. The product features support workflow and decision rules that allow users to build templates that personalise recruitment, skills matching, training course development and skills acquisition planning processes to meet the needs of different brigades. The flexible, modular structure of FireWatch enables brigades to add on functionality as and when required, rolling the software out across departments – or Brigade-wide – as needed.

Operational Requirements:

These were that FireWatch should:

  • Enable Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service to meet Home Office reporting requirements
  • Facilitate the drive for continuous improvement
  • Help individuals to consistently deliver targeted workplace performance
  • Enable the Brigade to judge individual, team and overall service performance against a predefined set of competency-related indicators
  • Reduce time spent maintaining administrative systems

Summary:

The successful implementation of FireWatch as a Brigade-wide solution for competency-based HRM and safety has enabled Royal Berkshire Fire & Rescue Service to reap the full benefits and ROI that the FireWatch system can deliver – bringing increased efficiency, improved communication and collaboration, and a reduction in the time and cost of managing administrative systems.