Routing is critical for fire crews. Each station must be correctly staffed and this can mean moving staff between fire stations. The right appliance must also get to the right location as quickly as possible. LFB used AA Route Planner information to determine likely travel times between each of its 102 stations. However, as a set of 12,000 individual, point-to-point manual queries, the process had previously taken 40 working hours to complete. It also, inevitably, carried a high risk of error and required detailed checking.
LFB streamlined its data management and created a single, authoritative set of geospatial data that could be shared across the organisation. It used Safe Software’s FME Desktop software to support this work. 1Spatial, a Safe Software Value Added Reseller and Platinum Partner, provided FME support and training to LFB. During a bespoke training course 1Spatial suggested using FME to automate the process of updating inter-station travel times, eliminating the potential for manual errors, as well as saving time and money. As a result, travel times can be updated monthly to reflect the impact of roadworks, changed road layouts etc., ensuring that staff transfers can be managed as efficiently as possible.