DC08-421 9 December, 2008
BT works with Cabinet Office to address emergency planning
BT today announced that it has been awarded a contract by the UK Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat, and Communities and Local Government to develop a national extranet to help government, local authorities and emergency services respond to civil emergencies, such as floods and outbreaks of agricultural diseases.
The National Resilience Extranet (NRE) will provide more than 1,000 organisations in the resilience community – such as Fire and Rescue services, utilities and strategic health authorities – with secure, resilient Internet-based collaboration technology, allowing organisations to better respond to civil emergencies by sharing information and communication online. The service will be available to approved user organisations on a subscription basis.
The NRE will be a secure resilient browser based collaborative working tool to support strategic collaboration between the resilience community by enabling the efficient and secure exchange of information during both routine planning and response to emergencies. The service will also provide optional Emergency Information Management (EIM) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) capabilities.
It is envisaged that the NRE will be used by the resilience community, including Category 1 & 2 Responders, Government Departments and Agencies and other key organisations to share knowledge, plan responses to emergency situations and manage situations as they happen.
The core information and collaborative working package provided by the service is expected to be used by over 1,000 organisations in the resilience community that have a duty to plan for and respond to civil emergencies. The secure extranet will also allow users to collaborate by sharing information and learning points.
The service will also include an EIM package to support organisations in managing their response to incidents as they happen. BT will work alongside Ultra Electronics Datel to develop the NRE which is planned to go live in 2009.
John Stokoe, director, BT Global defence & security, said: “We are ideally placed to deliver this capability as we understand the obligations and responsibilities associated with emergency planning. BT is a Category 2 Responder and heads the telecommunications emergency response command chain. We’re proud of our association with this important activity and look forward to improving collaboration further through the National Resilience Extranet.”
Development of the extranet through this contract is a direct response by Government following consultation between the two departments and their stakeholders about an improved secure method of communicating and sharing resilience information and demonstrates positive action in the aftermath of incidents like the 2007 floods and the foot and mouth outbreak.
Commenting on the contract award, Bruce Mann Head of Cabinet Office Civil Contingencies Secretariat, said: “We are delighted to be working with BT and Ultra Electronics Datel on this important project. The extranet will help the resilience community to plan for and manage emergencies in a more joined-up and consistent way.”
