Introduction

Response times are the critical factor in enabling the emergency services to attend and deliver life-saving first response care.  

5G technology has been used in the City of Bristol to facilitate high speed communications alerts to help prevent a tragic numberof drowning accidents that have taken place in the city’s popular Harbourside area in recent years.  

The challenge

In 2017 alone, ten people tragically lost their lives through drowning in Bristol.

Bristol’s popular Harbourside area set the scene for these tragic accidents. Bristol City Council needed a quick and fail-safe solution to prevent further incidents and safeguard the area particularly for night-time visitors.

5G-enabled thermal imaging cameras were identified as a solution in providing immediate alerts to emergency services in the event of anyone falling into the water or at risk at the water’s edge.

Life-saving technology

The cameras were installed in October 2018 as part of a pilot Smart Tourism project powered by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA), Bristol City Council, Zeeta Networks and Bristol is Open.

Thermal cameras were placed around the water at specific ‘trigger’ entry points which served as barrier lines on the harbour wall.

The cameras were installed with simulation technology powered by 5G to access areas that were tricky to monitor. The equipment used was able to perform with low latency (a 5G network designed to process high volumes of data quickly), mobility and bandwidth slicing (where networks are separated or ‘sliced’ into dedicated sections to avoid interference or slowdown). Using this technology meant large amounts of data could be processed through the city’s existing fibre and wireless network provided the solution.

Data was then connected to the council’s main operations centre to alert appropriate emergency services, and provide a specific location, if someone were to fall in.

A Beacon of light

Within 36 hours of the trial starting the system was triggered with a pedestrian falling into the harbour. This was picked up on the thermal imaging camera system, generating alerts to the emergency services who safely rescued him.

The cost implication of rescuing anyone from the Harbourside totals around £70,000, with an additional often tragic emotional toll, so it is easy to see why this technology, and the 5G network supporting it, is crucial.

The mother of 33-year-old Jason Gurgul, who lost his life through drowning in the harbour in 2017 said about the project:

“If they can pinpoint somebody straight away and save their life, then that's good. If the unfortunate happens, at least they can get their loved one back without the agony of not knowing or waiting, like we had to do."

Successful outcomes

Within the first few months the technology had saved two lives. 5G has proved quite simply to be a life saver in this project. As a result of its success Bristol City Council is assessing further uses for the technology.

Peter Anderson, Bristol City Council’s head of service said:

“This trial is the first real test we’ve been able to undertake to see how we can use digitisation to improve safety.

“Using the latest in telecommunications technology in our city infrastructure connected to our emergency services, we’ve been able to demonstrate how effective it can be and how future 5G can be simulated and applied to protecting our citizens.

“I’m delighted with the outcomes of the trial and how smart connectivity can make an immediate and positive impact on people’s lives.”

The 5G Smart Tourism project is led by the West of England Combined Authority (WECA) and funded by The Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

It brings together 25 organisations and will see the development of a testbed to demonstrate 5G capability, establishing the West of England as a world-leader in the development of advanced fixed and mobile communication systems.

Former WECA Mayor, Tim Bowles, added at the time of rollout:

“I am proud our region is playing such a pivotal role in both the development of 5G technology and the innovative first trials of these pioneering new wireless services, which can offer real safety benefits for our communities.

“We are ambitious to help support a commercial roll out of 5G infrastructure across our region and we see 5G as having a role in helping us address mobility across the region and in helping with digital inclusion.

“We are well placed to become a smart region – we are already recognised as a centre of excellence, as home to the largest cluster of digital expertise outside London.”

This project was a pilot trial that paves the way for future projects.

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