CODE 2, VOL 33, NO 13 : 28 june 2019

VEHICLE PERFORMANCE MONITORING – TELEMATICS TRIAL COMMENCES

Late in 2018 QFES came and met with your union to discuss a proposal to introduce fleet maintenance tracking devices in some appliances and ERV’s (both rural and F&R).

Your union had concerns about the potential use of the data to track drivers and driver behaviour.

QFES has provided a written undertaking the data will not be used for this purpose and a copy of that correspondence can be found here.

The telematics devices are being fitted to 100 vehicles selected to ensure a range of types of appliance are monitored, your station may have already had one fitted to an appliance, or may have one fitted in the near future, or may not have one fitted at all.  The trial of the device’s effectiveness will run over a 6 month period.

Access to the data will be severely restricted, with only those with a role to play in fleet maintenance and performance being able to access the data.  Your union will be given regular briefings on the data being collected and the development of ways the data can be used to improve fleet maintenance.  Another use for the device being trialled is an extra capacity during emergency operations for incident controllers to know exactly where appliances are.  This will be particularly useful in situations where the rural service vehicles turn out as there have been issues with knowing how many appliances are responding to an incident and where they are.

I am confident that there is benefit to predictive maintenance services arising from these devices being installed and with the written assurance you and your colleagues will not be monitored through the use of the devices, I can see no reason not to participate in the trial which is due to conclude in early 2020.

What use the devices have post-trial is something your union will be involved in deciding.

John Oliver - General Secretary