Continual disasters are costing lives

No government, in recent history, has had to deal with a catastrophic event like COVID. The entire global population has been affected.

Along with the pandemic, Australia has been plagued with a higher-than-normal number of natural disasters including the recent Lismore floods, which were repeated weeks after the initial deluge, as well as bushfires and cyclones.

The Australian people have increasingly turned to their governments to be ‘rescued’ and managed. Some disasters have resulted in a Royal Commission and, despite many recommendations, few if any changes have been implemented.

Australia is not alone when it comes to managing disasters; the same problem exists around the globe. The spotlight is on the need for fast, accurate communication and stronger, national/global crisis preparedness, to protect and save lives.

Fast, accurate communication is the single most critical issue when managing a crisis.

Solution

Regardless of disaster, a tool offering a single source of true national collaboration with interoperability and bilateral sharing of real-time data between every emergency service agency is needed now. The use of disparate solutions is costing lives.

The solution also needs to provide the ability for the lead agency to communicate one-way with the public, so they know there is one source for all information regardless of the disaster. They should not be left wondering which TV or radio channel to tune into, which emergency service website or social media platforms should they know about or be following, which possible fake news sites they may have relied upon, or which weather app is best.

It is time to remove the disconnect and frustration for everyone. It would be a win for every level of government.

As recommended in the 2020 Black Summer Bushfire Royal Commission, our proven software solution BART was implemented by the NSW Rural Bushfire Service in 2021 under the name of ‘RFS Activ.’ BART integrates seamlessly with existing internal government systems providing real-time information for the 74,000+ members.

Our mission-critical solutions are used by more than 90,000 customers across Australia, including ambulance, paramedics, RFS/CFA, SES, coast guard, police, firefighters, rescue groups, utility and mining operators.

Australia has one of the highest rates of mobile phone use in the world. According to a report on digital and mobile trends, the total number of mobile connections in Australia reached nearly 31.9 million in 2022. This is more mobile device connections than our entire population, signifying the most widely used tool for communication is mobile phones.

It’s time to make our own, familiar mobile phone handset part of our go-to safety kit with the peace of mind knowing the information received during a disaster is real-time, from a trusted source, that could save your life.

Kathleen Kenny, Director, Bart Solutions.

Kenny has over 25 years’ experience in starting, running and exiting businesses in varied commercial sectors, including specialist emergency service software solutions. Since 2010 her primary focus has been on scoping/specification and analysis, through to rollout of a scalable mission-critical app and integrated software platform used by different levels of government and first responders to manage bushfires, cyclones/hurricanes, floods, terrorism and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.

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