Press Release
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE EMERGENCY SERVICES GET SWINE FLU?
Monday, 27th July 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Swine Flu Influenza A(H1N1) pandemic has the potential to badly hit close-knit teams such as emergency response teams, security patrols, and rescue services. With estimates that 50% of the workforce may require 10 working days off at some stage over the pandemic, it is critical for team leaders to watch their compliance levels and resources.
DUBLIN, IRELAND (27th July 2009) - Some organizations and companies already have plans in place for response continuity, some do not. In total, up to 50% of the workforce may require time off at some stage over the pandemic, according to the UK Department of Health's contingency plans. "Absenteeism should follow the pandemic profile with an expectation that it will build to a peak lasting for two to three weeks when between 15% and 20% of staff may be absent at the same time". Risks are greater in environments where human interaction and personal contact is a common occurrence.
Organizations have been advised to prepare by appointing a pandemic co-ordinator and deputy who will understand the critical requirements and plan accordingly. To help teams communicate and reduce the impact on personnel levels, a new service has launched called Decisions For Heroes. The service will monitor the status of a group of people and alert them if they fail to have the correct skill levels available on-demand.
Each team member may securely add their qualifications and experience to the online tool. Once a team member becomes ill, they may mark themselves as unavailable by signing-in from a home internet connection or by sending a text message to a special number.
Team leaders may set comfort levels such as always requiring 2 doctors, 4 paramedics, 4 drivers, 2 security, and 1 dispatcher at all times. The software keeps a realtime monitor on the available skills pool and alerts the team when they are short people in a required qualification or skill, up to two weeks in advance.
Individual teams and national bodies need to consider the implications of an influenza pandemic on their resource levels and make continuity plans. Decisions For Heroes is billed per month, has no long-term contracts, and teams can get started instantly by opening a self-service account online www.decisionsforheroes.com/swineflu
The pandemic is currently gaining a foothold internationally and it will be a number of weeks before it is widespread. Now is the time for teams who have others dependent on their response, to plan for this challenge in order to protect the provision of their service.
-ENDS-
For interview:
Contact Robin Blandford, Founder. Phone +353 (0)86 328 7563 or email robin@bytesurgery.com
Download Hi-res photos and further information:
Please visit our press kit to download images, factsheets, user stories, and hear pre-recorded audio interviews. www.decisionsforheroes.com/press
About Decisions For Heroes:
Better decisions save lives. Decisions For Heroes helps emergency services save more lives by making better decisions. Decisions for Heroes is a collaborative rescue team management tool, that helps record and analyse rescue operations. Instead of archiving information as paperwork, the software generate real-time profiles of members, available resources, and experience levels. Decisions for Heroes uses this data to deliver live and intelligent information to the field.
Developed by Dublin based ByteSurgery Ltd. they have been acknowledged and awarded as a 2009 winner iQ Prize, 2008 European Seedcamp finalist; 2008 Irish Web Awards finalist for 'Most Innovative', 'Best Web App', 'Best Technical'; and 2008 winner of Best Irish 'Technology Blog'.
ByteSurgery Ltd.
Docklands Innovation Park,
128 - 130 East Wall Road,
Dublin 3,
Ireland.
Further information
For photos, video, audio, and background information, check out our electronic press kit.