Scottish Fire and Rescue Service announces seven-year Motorola Solutions contract for cloud-based control room technology
Iain Hoey
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Left to right: Deputy Chief Officer Andy Watt, Motorola Solutions Country Manager for UK and Ireland Fergus Mayne, Area Commander for Operations Control Jacqui MacDonald, Motorola Solutions Account Director for Scotland & Northern Ireland Gregor MacKenzie and Area Commander for Service Development Derek Wilson
SFRS adopts new control room technology with Motorola Solutions
Motorola Solutions has announced a seven-year contract with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to implement a cloud-hosted control room system across Scotland.
The new control room solution (CRS) is expected to be operational in all SFRS control centres, enhancing collaboration and reducing emergency response times, according to Motorola Solutions.
Andy Watt, Assistant Chief Officer at SFRS, highlighted the alignment of this implementation with both the service’s digital strategy and the Scottish Government’s Cloud First policy.
Watt said: “Installing a cloud-hosted, single command and control system has been a strategic priority for our Fire and Rescue Service.”
Enhancing emergency response and cybersecurity
The CRS will support SFRS in coordinating responses to large-scale incidents, including those requiring multiple fire stations and resources, across its 356 fire stations in Scotland.
The system is expected to improve response capabilities during spate conditions, which are periods of high incident volumes, and reduce cybersecurity risks associated with operational data.
The contract is also intended to offer a streamlined experience for control room operators, consolidating command functions into a single, unified system.
This approach, according to Watt, will “reinforce our commitment to providing a modern experience for our control room operators.”
Meeting the needs of Scotland’s fire and rescue operations
SFRS, which manages responses to various emergencies across Scotland, will use the CRS to manage incidents such as fires, road traffic accidents, and water rescues.
The service operates three main control centres in Edinburgh, Dundee, and Johnstone, coordinating thousands of incidents annually across the nation.
Fergus Mayne, Motorola Solutions’ country manager for the UK and Ireland, described the partnership’s goals: “Scottish Fire and Rescue Service respond to a wide range of complex incidents on a daily basis.
Our control room solution is helping SFRS to improve its operational efficiency and safeguard communities across Scotland.”
Long-standing partnership with Scotland’s public safety agencies
Motorola Solutions has provided services to Scotland’s emergency organisations for several years.
The company’s technologies, including the Airwave national emergency services network and TETRA radios, are widely used by public safety agencies in Scotland to support emergency response operations.
Motorola Solutions also supplies the Pronto Digital Policing Application and body cameras, which assist emergency responders in safeguarding communities.
The CRS contract represents a continued collaboration with SFRS, strengthening the technology used in critical emergency response systems across Scotland.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service announces seven-year Motorola Solutions contract for cloud-based control room technology: Summary
Motorola Solutions has secured a seven-year contract with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) to implement a cloud-hosted control room solution across Scotland’s operational centres.
The system is designed to enhance response coordination, particularly during high-demand periods, and to support cybersecurity measures for operational data.
According to SFRS, the contract aligns with their digital strategy and the Scottish Government’s Cloud First policy.
The CRS will consolidate command functions across SFRS’s three main control centres, improving operational efficiency for emergency response.
Motorola Solutions’ country manager for the UK and Ireland, Fergus Mayne, noted that the system aims to support SFRS’s mission of safeguarding communities.
The company, already a long-standing technology partner to Scotland’s emergency agencies, also supplies tools like the Airwave network and TETRA radios used by public safety organisations throughout the country.