In 2016 the alarm reception of 5 municipalities in West Zealand was centralised in West Zealand Fire Brigades control room (VSBV). VSBV handles 3600 alarms: ABA, 112 alarms and care calls, among others. Care calls from elderly citizens are a major task for the control room, as they constitute approximately 2600 of all the alarms. These care calls are activated around 700 times a day and are monitored 24/7.
Automated care call handling
VSBV takes full advantage of ISM’s care call module by using automatic handling of 700 daily care calls. This means that all care calls are forwarded directly to the relevant contacts at the nursing home.
The implementation of ISM not only allows the control room’s operators to focus on other emergency tasks without interruptions, but also means that the control room can carry out these tasks with fewer operators. VSBV is currently staffed with just one operator, who handles all their alarms.
The care call solution provides a wide range of benefits
ISM optimises the time spent in answering care calls, as the program handles the calls automatically. The response is not dependent on a call center operator answering it, but is automatically transferred to the relevant contacts at the nursing home who receive the call on their phones. In this way, the operator is not disturbed from his other tasks.
Care calls are paramount and should be handled properly every time. A care call can vary from trivial routine tasks, to life-threatening calls. These types of calls have traditionally meant a significant occupational burden for control rooms. Unlike automated alarms, which can be handled with a few clicks, care calls are mostly coming from older citizens with very different needs. Regardless of the situation, the caller needs fast and efficient assistance, and thanks to ISM automatic handling, a better service is provided to the citizen. Where the citizen traditionally has to speak with an operator, who has to forward the care call to the nursing home, ISM eliminates the need for intermediaries by forwarding the call directly to the nursing home, who can help them or visit them, if needed.
If none of the contacts at the nursing home answer the call, it is automatically sent back to the control room, where it is handled by the operator. The ISM report module from VSBV shows that only approx. 2% of the daily 700 care calls are sent back to the control room.
At VSBV 24-hour manned control room, they estimate that their automatic care call handling means saving at least one operator space (24/7), in other words, a saving of three full-time operators.
Main functionalities
VSBV control room runs on the latest version of ISM and has VoIP via 3CX PBX installed. Based on work shift schedules, ISM generates “call lists” that the VoIP software will use when calling the nursing home. This is done by setting up basic auto instructions in ISM that automatically trigger the call when receiving a care call.
The ISM solution was chosen for economic, as well as IT operational reasons, meaning that VSBV can today focus on their main task at the control room, namely to offer a security service by receiving and handling alarms.
For more information about ISM care calls and the possibilities for your control room or business, contact us.
About West Zealand Fire Brigades
West Zealand Fire Brigades (VSBV) are responsible for fire and rescue for Kalundborg, Odsherred, Sorø, Lejre and Holbæk municipalities. In 2016 it was decided to establish a joint control room in Kalundborg, and as several municipalities’ control rooms already used ISM, it was a natural choice to use the solution in the new control room too. VSBV also established a collaboration with Central and South Zealand Fire and Rescue (MSBR) for the IT part of the control room, where all servers are located in Næstved at MSBR.
