BA Telemetry

[OscarTango]

Out of interest, how many brigades are still using the analog EC boards nationally?

For those that are, are there plans afoot to shift over to telemetry or are you sticking with the dorset calculator for a while yet?

[Luminoki]

Off the top of my head i think Shropshire, Gloucs and Avon. Mid and west wales have just introduced merlin telemetry and drager sets in the last 12 months if their twitter is anything to go by

[Carl]

We have had Merlin Telemetry and Dräger for a good few years now in GMFRS.

[TandA]

Essex are still analogue, or maybe even chalk and slate.  No telemetry, no rapid deployment.  We are getting with the times and getting new boards soon but I can’t recall the details at the mo.

[Jet]

LFB for at least the last seven years. Went on a few jobs with Cheshire recently and they do not have telemetry.

[OscarTango]

Interesting, in Kent we've had telemetry for about six or seven years but our neighbors all seem to still run the old board apart from London.

I guess its a bit like flow meters, a very sensible, game changing bit of kit but with very ad hoc adoption. Id wonder if there is any correlation between those who have telemetry and those who don't with smaller numbers of crew. Id hazard a guess that Brigades are more inclined to ride with four if they have telemetry given the "ease" of rapid deployment. Sure there's a spreadsheet out there for it somewhere ?

[Cardiff_Fire]

South Wales still using the analog boards.

I believe an upgrade is due within the next couple of years, recently trialled new Draeger sets with telemetry. I think an "All Wales" procurement with a phased role out amongst the 3 Welsh Brigades.

[Keith]

We've had telemetry for quite a few years and think were one of the first to take it when up Draeger brought it out. From the replies so far it seems to be if you have Draeger you also have telemetry, do the other manufacturers not offer a similar system?

@OscarTango on this occasion I don't think there is any connection between telemetry and crew numbers / rapid deployment. We had rapid deployment long before telemetry and this had its own dedicated board with only 2 slots mounted in the back of the cab. Entering the first tally automatically started the clock. As soon an ECO became available with the arrival of the next appliance, the tallies had to be transferred over to a normal manual stage 1 board. With the introduction of telemetry there was no longer a requirement for the rapid deployment board as the telemetry board gave this function plus much more.

[Carl]

In Manchester the fact we have telemetry makes no difference to rapid deployment neither. In fact there has to be certain criteria if we are to use rapid deployment and as Keith alludes to, the fact we have telemetry means we do not need rapid deployment as we can work out once time permits just how long a wearer has been under air.

[Carefree]

The telemetry boards we use in LFB are miles better than the previous analogue BA boards.  It’s probably the best of all the new kit that has been introduced since I joined nearly 10 years ago.

[HB2016]

Still using old boards in Hampshire - rumours we may be upgrading to telemetry in the near future!