Using Web Service Architectures and Advanced Simulation Tools to ensure that Cost Savings in Strategic Funding for Emergency Services do not Jeopardize the Safety of Local Communities

Performing effective and efficient emergency response is essential to maintaining public safety. The use of emergency planning systems therefore plays a critical role in ensuring that the emergency services can respond to a wide range of adverse events, including everything from domestic fires to terrorist attacks or natural disasters. Software supporting resource deployment for emergency response create particular challenges, such as reflecting updates in infrastructure, population and buildings and changes in services provision. These different factors require the input data from multiple sources to help inform the planning processes that guide our response to emergencies and help to protect the safety of the general public. This paper therefore describes an advanced approach to Emergency Planning through web service architectures. The approach is analyzed regarding possible benefits and drawbacks. A case-study is introduced, presenting the development of a web services-based application, enabling the evaluation of different ‘what-if’ scenarios within the operational planning process of the UK Fire and Rescue Services, although we would argue that the approach has a more general application. The results of our initial work raise a number of questions about the suitability of these web-based technologies for primary or secondary planning systems in the emergency response domain.