Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service has been recognised for its innovative use of a government land charter system to tell its firefighters where they are going and what dangers to look out for at particular addresses.
The National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG), which holds information on addresses throughout the UK and is kept up-to-date by local authorities, has been integrated throughout the service.
They have used it to keep track of new build homes, bits of land, canal moorings and units on large industrial estates, all of which the service says are ‘notoriously difficult to find.’
A spokesman said: “By giving each a unique reference number, it enables firefighters to pinpoint their location precisely should an emergency strike.
“Firefighters are also able to add interesting information to each number – such as the fact that a building contains a petrol tanker. This is then shared throughout the fire service.”
Cambridgeshire firefighters collected the Fire Service Technology Award at the first ever Emergency Service Awards, held at Arsenal’s Emirate’s Stadium on 7 April.
The awards evening was hosted by BBC News presenter Nicholas Owen, and included 19 awards for individual and team achievements in all three emergency services.
Nicola Smith, business intelligence and performance manager for the fire service collected the award. She said: "Before this integration existed, that frontline knowledge may not have been available to people in every department. This will save us money and time in the future, while providing a better service for the community in every area.
"What is really exciting is that, as this award demonstrates, Cambridgeshire is leading the way in data management, and is now pioneering this integrated system among other emergency services. The most recent example of this is the assistance Cambridgeshire has offered to Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service in implementing the NLPG in their organisation."
