The St John Ambulance Emergency Operations Centre temporarily switched to ‘manual operations’ On Wednesday afternoon.
The temporary reversion to manual operations occurred between 1pm and 2pm yesterday.
St John chief executive officer Matt Cannon said that: “This is part of a planned software upgrade for the Computerised Ambulance Dispatch System software.
“Manual operations mean that instead of using computers, our emergency operators will be taking and dispatching emergency calls using paper and whiteboards.
“This is a temporary change in our usual processes to make sure we can still help those in need while our computer systems are being upgraded.”
“Why does SJA have ‘manual operations’? At St John Ambulance, we sometimes have what we call ‘manual operations.’ This is what the backup plan is in place for if our computerised system becomes unavailable or not working properly.
“There are a couple of reasons for having ‘manual operations’ as a backup.
First, when we are upgrading our computer system, there may be times when it is temporarily unavailable.
This is normal during upgrades, and we have plans in place to make sure we can still help people during that time he added.
“Secondly, just like any computer system, there can be technical problems that cause outages. Even though we have backup systems.”
Like large power supplies, generators, and multiple internet connections, there is still a chance that something could go wrong.
That’s why we have paper and whiteboard backups.”
“These backups help us keep things running smoothly during outages and upgrades.
They allow us to continue providing emergency services without any interruptions.
This is a common approach used by ambulance operations centres around the world.”
Mr Cannon said, “So rest assured, even if our computer system is temporarily unavailable, we have backup plans in place to make sure we can still be there for you in an emergency.
We appreciate your understanding and support during this time, as we strive to enhance our technology infrastructure to better serve our community.
Rest assured, our dedicated team is working to minimise any disruptions and ensure the highest level of care for those in need.”
“The software upgrade was successful.
The general upgrades will maximise our ability to locate callers and communicate with our ambulances around the country, keeping our staff safe.”
