The computer information is beamed en-route to the officer in charge through the mobile telephone cell network. It means that when they arrive at the scene of the fire, the crew can be fully briefed with detailed information about the layout of the building, escape routes, fire resistant doors and vital information concerning storage of hazardous materials, such as chemicals or gas containers.

The ground-breaking system was launched at a special demonstration this week at a secondary school in Blackwood (Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni). It is one of 600 public buildings, including schools, libraries, care premises and offices in the County of Caerphilly that have been provided to South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and will significantly enhance the on-line computer database. The project is all part of the drive by the County's Insurance Risk Management team to make its public buildings safer.

The roll-out of the system is the result of a co-operative public-private sector project involving Caerphilly County Borough Council, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service and Risk Management Consultancy, Riskmonitor, based at Ferndale in the Rhondda Valley. Detailed information about all public buildings, including input from fire officers is available to the Fire Service to download in the form of Computer Aided Design (CAD) drawings and animations. These have been added to the database which has already been created by the Fire Service's own CAD team and means that, to date, throughout South Wales, details of some 1,200 buildings including factories, shopping centres, office complexes and public buildings are available on computer.

It is the first time that a County Council and a private company have worked together to provide the Fire and Rescue Service with a full set of its building plans electronically.

This project has attracted great interest from Fire and Rescue Services across the UK, as well as insurance companies and certainly has the potential for further development.

Civic dignitaries, representatives of insurance companies and senior officers from the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service were at Ysgol Gyfun Cwm Rhymni to see the new system in action. Chief Fire Officer Brian Fraser said he was very impressed with the potential of the system to make tackling fires safer for all concerned. 'Information is invaluable to the fire crews at the scene of an incident. Having access to drawings and animations which enables the crews to visualise and assess the building in question before they begin the operation will certainly help them to do the job of protecting life and saving property.'

Councillor Harry Andrews leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council said he was immensely proud of the part played by his local authority in pioneering this ground-breaking project. 'Our Insurance Risk Management Team is constantly looking at ways of reducing the danger to life and limb and of reducing the cost to the public of expensive fires and insurance cover. The data now available on-line will not only pay dividends in terms of potential to save lives but also in actual cash terms since insurance risk assessors believe the system makes a tangible reduction in the likelihood of a fire damaging or destroying a valuable public asset.'

Councillor Derek Rees is Chairman of South Wales Fire Authority. He said 'It's encouraging to see this project underway in the interest of safety for the people of South Wales. The Fire Authority welcomes help from Caerphilly Borough Council in providing vital information about the buildings in the area.'

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