The emergency management system in the city of Cape Town, South Africa has changed dramatically since the city implemented an integrated public safety initiative known as EPIC.
EPIC (Emergency Policing and Incident Command) program, provides a single control platform that city employees use to provide a coordinated response from six public safety services within the city. The technology is based on SAP CRM powered by SAP HANA and the SAP Investigation Management for Public Sector package, and is making a big difference in how effectively the city can respond to emergency situations, such as wildfires.
A series of interactive map displays give the control center’s workers a big picture view of the city and its environs. Color-coded symbols pinpoint wildfires and other emergency incidents as they are reported, while different icons identify the location and changing status of emergency personnel and vehicles in the field. The system is designed to allow dispatchers to deploy and redirect resources by dragging and dropping icons on the displays. Emergency workers in the field are equipped with geo-enabled mobile devices that not only keep them constantly connected, but that also give them access to critical information – like the availability of local water hydrants.
“I can now see fire, police, ambulance, and other emergency services all in one place,” says Karen Titus, an Assistant Emergency Communications Officer for the city, “and with the click of a button, I can contact any one of them. We just didn’t have this kind of connection in the past. It’s a really good feeling to know you can do your job better and faster,” she adds, “because regardless of the technology, at the end of the day, we’re here to help people.”
