Prior to the deployment, callers in an emergency situation were required to dial separate numbers to request police and fire assistance. Callers also had the option to dial 112, where calls would be routed to police or fire dispatch depending on the service required. Now, the newly integrated systems allow callers to dial 112 for all their police and fire emergency service needs, without the requirement of separate phone numbers or the frustration of being transferred during an emergency.

In a joint statement, the City of Barcelona’s police and fire brigade said: “The integration of our command and control systems means a massive improvement in the quality of assistance we can provide. Residents and visitors of Barcelona can expect more agile emergency response and immediate coordination between services. With the Hexagon system, our police and fire brigade dispatchers will have access to real-time information about the emergency forces and resources deployed and whether they have completed their respective involvement in the incident.”

To implement the project, the City of Barcelona’s police and fire brigade utilised Hexagon’s industry-leading computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system and Xalt | Integration solution, designed to integrate mission-critical systems. The combined system handles an average of 1,000 incidents through constant, real-time exchange of more than 20,000 messages a day with Catalonia’s emergency 112 service.

A world leader in public safety solutions, Hexagon has been working closely with the city's fire and police departments for more than 12 years.

“Hexagon would like to thank Barcelona’s emergency departments for the trust they have placed in our solutions, and we recognise their commitment and dedication to the residents of Barcelona,” said Domingos Lourenço, country manager, Iberia, Hexagon's Safety & Infrastructure division.