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PerspectivesPartnershipsJoining forcesUniversity and the Greater Manchester Fire Serviceteam up to address challengesOverall, more than 20 potentialprojects are currently beingassessed in what Paul Sharples,the Fire Service’s Head ofIntelligence and Knowledge,describes as: “a groundbreaking,all encompassing partnership.”The Fire Service is the largest outsideLondon, with over 2,500 employees and 41fire stations, covering an area of nearly 500square miles and a culturally diversepopulation of 2.5 million people.“Our aim is to build this relationship intoa strategic partnership, underpinned by ourproven relationship managementmethodology,” explains Mike Taylor,a partnership consultant at the University.“The secret is really understanding what theydo and how they do it, what keeps themawake at night and what their strategic aimsand business objectives are.“Equally important is enabling the Fire Serviceto fully understand how the University’sfunding mechanisms work, what we do inthe laboratories and how this world-leadingscientific expertise can help their organisationbecome more efficient and effective.”Project controlCurrent projects include work with sportssscientists from the University’s College ofHealth & Social Care, who have developedfitness programmes specifically forfirefighters, as well as specialised rehabilitationand occupational health services.Continuous professional development isanother key element of the partnership.A new business within the University,Salford Professional Development, is creatingbespoke courses which include managementand leadership training, while the University’sEnergy Hub team will be teaching firefightershow to use thermal imaging cameras.“The technology was originally used to helpus assess and measure the impact of insulationon properties, as part of the Green Deal,” saysTaylor. “But we discovered that it can also beused by firefighters to help locatea fire’s hot-spot.”The partnership is also developing a virtualreality ‘City’ at the University’s facilities atMediaCityUK as part of a Knowledge TransferPartnership, which addresses another veryreal need, says Taylor. “The fire service isattending less and less house fire call outsdue to the success of its prevention strategy,so training fire fighters is becomingincreasingly difficult.”What these projectsshow is how theUniversity can apply thescientific research andideas developed by ouracademics for use in oneindustry to somethingcompletely new, inthis case helping theemergency services.The project is designed to embed the use ofmixed reality learning in the way in which bothincident management and firefighting aretaught. It also addresses the fact that futurebudgets require new and innovative ways ofdelivering training, which currently involveexercises with actual buildings and vehicles,which are both costly and resource heavy.What has particularly impressed Sharples isthat: “the University is able to develop a virtualGreater Manchester, with exact 3D replicastreet layouts, buildings and even firefightersand engines. If we were to buy an off-the-shelfvirtual reality system, it would be veryexpensive to tailor it to our exact needs.“So what we’re getting is a system that’s fit forpurpose, embedded within the organisationand, from the public’s perspective, is goodvalue for money.”The organisations are also looking at a possiblelink up around robotics and artificialintelligence, with the University working on adrone which could be used to give firefightersan aerial view and thermal images of anincident. They are also developing anautonomous robot called a 'Husky', whichis capable of independently entering andassessing the inside of a building, beforesending live 3D thermal images back toofficers to help improve decision making.The University is assisting with environmentalmanagement too, helping the fire service tomanage issues such as water use, urban diffusepollution and the effect on the watercourseof the chemical-based foam often used tofight fires.Innovative thinkingThe sheer breadth of the partnership is shownby one last initiative, involving the University’sSalford Housing and Urban Studies Unit,which is carrying out culture and communitymapping for the fire service.“We’re aware that certain communities acrossGreater Manchester have traditional culturalissues which could make them morevulnerable to the dangers of fire,” saysSharples. “By finding out exactly where thesecommunities are, we can develop a moretargeted campaign of prevention.” And Tayloradds: “What these projects show is how theUniversity can apply the scientific research andideas developed by our academics for use inone industry to something completely new, inthis case helping the emergency services.”Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Enterprise, Dr NigelMellors, said: "We are establishing a systemwhere we approach a business as a completeuniversity, rather than one department offeringone service."24 | May 2013