Panasonic donates 12-inch 2-in-1 TOUGHBOOK 33 detachable rugged devices to help Surrey’s Lowland Rescue team quickly respond to incidents in any weather and environment.
Panasonic TOUGHBOOK has donated TOUGHBOOK 33 2-in-1 detachable rugged tablets to Surrey Search & Rescue (Surrey SAR), vastly increasing connectivity and operational efficiency for the voluntary specialist search team, when responding to incidents of missing people, water and flood rescue.
Surrey SAR assists Surrey Police in finding some of the most high-risk 2,100 vulnerable adults and children that go missing in Surrey every year. The team also support Surrey Fire and Rescue Service in water rescue and are also on Defra’s asset register to deploy anywhere in the UK for flood support.
As one of the UK’s 35 lowland rescue teams, Surrey SAR is on call 24/7, 365 days a year, with a team of more than 80 volunteers and search dogs. It receives no central or local government funding and relies entirely on donations to purchase and maintain vital lifesaving equipment and technology, and to train its volunteers.
Increased flexibility where it matters
Surrey SAR’s search planning teams previously had to use personal devices or await the arrival of a vehicle equipped with a laptop to co-ordinate rescue operations. Now search team leaders can use the TOUGHBOOK 33 rugged devices to initiate a rescue from anywhere, sharing vital information with rescue teams before they arrive on the scene.
This is where the TOUGHBOOK 33 comes into its own. Popular with mobile workers in field services, telecommunications, defence, and emergency services, the rugged TOUGHBOOK 33 features market-leading performance and connectivity. It can be utilised as a traditional notebook for on-site planning teams, or as a tablet for enhanced ease-of-use on the move during a land or water rescue.
The military-grade ruggedness and IP65*-rated water and dust capabilities of the TOUGHBOOK 33 enable Surrey SAR volunteers to use the device in any environment, without any fear of drops, knocks, and vibrations affecting operation. The teams also utilise the TOUGHBOOK 33’s hot swappable twin batteries capability, which allows them to quickly switch batteries on operations without having to turn off the device.
Charlotte Langridge, Business Manager (Public Sector), Panasonic TOUGHBOOK, said: “The work of Surrey Search and Rescue is truly humbling; we’re extremely proud to play a small role in helping its team of volunteers ensure that any missing or vulnerable individuals are found quickly. This donation of these refurbished TOUGHBOOK 33 devices extends the practical life of the products, whilst keeping Surrey SAR at the forefront of the digitisation of modern-day search and rescue.”
Connectivity is key
When an incident is reported to Surrey Police’s Police Search Advisers (PolSAs) and a person is deemed vulnerable or ‘high risk’, Surrey’s SAR planning and mapping technology is activated. This is where data and incident-specific information can be shared with search teams and Surrey Police, in real time, through Surrey SAR’s planning software.
The ability to share this information is dependent on a continuous and robust network connection. This is provided by long-term Panasonic partners, Cradlepoint, providing multiple WAN and cellular connections in connectivity “not spots”, to ensure that rescue operations can proceed as planned.
On-site connectivity is also improved through Surrey SAR vehicles being equipped with ruggedised routers, donated by Cradlepoint. This provides secure dual-network 5G connectivity. This in-vehicle connectivity hot-spot enables volunteers to take advantage of strong, reliable connectivity when responding on-site, and communicating with mobile teams in the field.
The Panasonic TOUGHBOOK devices will also be able to take advantage of SARNET, a joint initiative between Cradlepoint and wireless connectivity solutions provider, UK Connect. SARNET unifies cutting-edge and experimental network, hardware, and communications solutions that improve situational awareness for SAR teams across the UK, helping to increase response times, and ultimately, save lives. This will be available from January 2025.
Jamie Hepburn, Head of Search at Surrey Search and Rescue, adds: “Surrey Search & Rescue is deeply grateful to Panasonic for their generous donation of these rugged TOUGHBOOK 33 devices. Our planners can now plan searches and rescues from anywhere, sharing vital information with our search teams before the planners themselves arrive on the scene. The military-grade ruggedness and IP65-rated water and dust capabilities allow us to respond swiftly in all weather conditions without concern over the technology. Panasonic’s support accelerates our life-saving efforts, and we deeply appreciate its donation.”
PJ Farr, CEO of UK Connect, concludes: “The idea of SARNET is to work with leading global technology brands such as Panasonic to develop an ecosystem of technologies. This gives SAR teams an edge in enabling them to search for and rescue the most vulnerable in our society. Surrey SAR is the first Lowland team to trial SARNET, and we are excited to trial more technologies over the coming months.”
*Tested by an independent third-party lab following MIL-STD 810G.
