Emergency Buttons
A number of drivers have expressed their concern regarding what appears to be
an increase in the number of emergency messages appearing on their screens.
They have expressed deep concern that the cause is of a genuine nature. I have
looked into why it's happening and I'm pleased to say that there is nothing
untoward going on.
I have spoken with the senior controllers and our IT staff and we
are convinced the increase could be attributed to two main reasons. The first
could be down to the fact that we have been training new personal on how to
operate the voice channel and as part of their training, they are given
instructions of what to do in the event that a driver presses his/her emergency
button. As you may be aware, when this happens the driver is given two minutes
of airtime to give us some kind of information as to where he/she is. The
voice operator then follows a procedure that acknowledges to the computer he
has acted on the emergency. Providing it is genuine, the procedure set up in
the despatching system will automatically send a fleet message, which would in
turn, give information on the cab. A follow up message from the voice operator
is then sent giving the fleet additional information so that anyone who may be
close-by could give the driver some assistance.
The voice operator has to also decide if the emergency is a false
alarm. If it is a false alarm, then there is another procedure to follow that
acknowledges the emergency in the computer, but this function does not send a
message to the fleet. We believe it is the two procedures that the new voice
operators are getting confused with. You will have noticed that although you
have seen the emergency message on
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your screen, there have been no follow-up messages sent.
Secondly, we believe that the position of the emergency button in the cab
has been the culprit for the majority of the false alarms. Peter
Thurston at Roman Way has been refitting the emergency buttons to prevent
drivers accidentally hitting them. I recall when we first installed Data
Despatch, we had this similar problem and it did not go away until drivers
became aware of where their buttons were positioned. As we have fitted a
number of new drivers recently, the problem has been seen to get worse.
As this has become a concern, I certainly want to ensure that all that can
be done to deal with the situation is being done. A manual log of all
voice requests is taken together with the specific reason for the voice
request being noted. Up till now, the emergency is logged along with all
the other voice requests but with immediate effect, any driver who
accidentally hits his/her emergency button will be spoken to by the voice
controller immediately. This is to ensure that the driver has been made
aware as to what they have done and that the false alarm decision taken is
a correct one. A new log will be collated of just the false alarm
emergencies and anyone found to have an excessive amount will be spoken to
by the Complaints Officer. The false alarms, whilst I agree are a concern
to drivers, are a disruption to the voice
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operator and stop him from dealing with the voice requests promptly. It
would be easy to have them removed, but the Call Centre staff and I are
fully aware that the emergency button is a not only comfort to the driver,
it could be a lifeline. Lets pray all our emergencies are false alarms...
JRTA GOLF 2001
This year's JRTA Golf Cup will be played at
Westerham Golf Club, Valence Park, Brasted Road, Westerham Kent on Tuesday
17th July 2001. Full details were given in last month's Call Sign.
Drawing twelve names out of a hat will be the method used to make
the team selection and drivers wishing to go into the draw must complete
an entry form, which can be found in the driver's reception. The JRTA
committee will be taking a close look at the handicaps and drivers will
need to supply a name and contact telephone number of their club or
society for verification. Entries must be received by mid-day on
Friday 8th June 2001 and the draw will take place in the main reception on
Monday 11th June 2001 at 3pm. Please do not telephone the office or ask a
member of staff to complete a form for you. To ensure your entry is in the
draw, all forms must be handed into the office rather than posted. No
responsibility will be taken for any entry form that is not received by
the closing date.
Alterations in handicaps will not be taken after Monday 6th
July 2001.
DaC will be hoping to win the cup for the sixth successive
year. With your help we may well achieve it...
Keith Cain
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