England’s North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) is leading the way in messaging as the first to adopt the new TETRA Messenger service from network operator Airwave.

Following a successful trial in the latter part of 2011, NWAS has procured the service for a three-year term and placed an initial order for 330 devices.

TETRA Messenger is a secure, resilient, two-way messaging and alerting solution, which provides messaging on Airwave’s secure TETRA Network. GPS functionality built into the pocket device enables the control room to pinpoint the whereabouts of on-duty responders and manage resources more effectively during an incident.

“The device is simple and easy to use and offers users the functionality to store up to 40 pre-defined messages. In the past our responders were unable to respond in a situation which made it difficult for us to know who was available and where they were located”, said Ray Lunt, NWAS programme director.

The pre-programmed responses (‘respond and react’) can be easily integrated into existing control room systems, giving the operators access to real-time updates.

“It is a robust messaging device with the added benefit of receipt acknowledgement”, added David Sangster, Airwave’s UK services director. “It is a world first and offers significant advantages over analogue paging systems.”

• The Airwave TETRA Messenger was a finalist in the Best TETRA Innovation category at the inaugural International TETRA Awards 2012. The ceremony took place in March.