A Johannesburg-based emergency response organisation participating in a trial of Motorola Solutions’ bodyworn video cameras is benefiting, especially when responding to road accidents.
Emergency Control South Africa (ECSA) is a non-profit emergency service organisation that provides a link between South African communities and emergency services by dispatching its resources to a variety of emergency situations, including search and rescue operations, fires, hazardous spills, bee and snake removals, missing persons and motor vehicle accidents. Unit members have also been activated to support international disaster zones and relief services for various other organisations.
ECSA is trialling seven of Motorola Solutions’ Edesix units, Ian Janse van Rensburg, a director of ECSA, explains: “We embarked on the pilot programme with Motorola Solutions more than a year ago, during the C-19 pandemic, to test the bodyworn cameras on our frontline members.”
ECSA members are required to perform many tasks when they respond to motor vehicle accidents. This can include safely removing passengers from damaged vehicles, supporting emergency services and bringing accident scenes under control. Staffers are often required to work in rural and remote areas where there is poor lighting and can face considerable risks in performing their often life-saving work.
“We always tell our members that they have to take care of themselves first in any situation they face,” Janse van Rensburg says. “They can’t help anyone else unless they ensure they are safe themselves. That’s where bodyworn video technology is helping to make a big difference. It provides a verifiable record and clear evidence of what’s happening out in the field.”
In many instances, the units have helped to verify the actions of ECSA members and their interactions with the public. Janse van Rensburg clarifies: “Road accidents in South Africa are often the scene of fraud, with some drivers seeking to take advantage of insurance claims. Video footage captured at the scene can be shared with insurance companies investigating the cause of vehicle accidents for claim purposes.
“In cases where litigation is involved, bodyworn video provides valuable evidence of what occurred and helps to back up the work and professionalism of our members,” Janse van Rensburg says. “In one case, a false statement was made against one of our people, but when we produced the video footage captured from the scene, the complainant dropped the case right away.”
Other use cases where bodyworn video footage has proven helpful is providing verified accounts of interactions with citizens that are drunk and disorderly as well as for rope rescue emergencies (where ECSA members need to scale cliffs, etc).
Footage captured in the field is also reviewed in a classroom setting, where ECSA members have an opportunity to improve their responding skills by viewing the types of scenarios that might occur while they are on duty.
“When we review an incident we look at how our members responded, what could have been done better, safer, quicker or easier for everyone involved. Bodyworn video is ideal for these kinds of reviews and our responders learn a great deal by working with experienced instructors, who can guide them on how to improve how they respond.”
On duty members are assigned a bodyworn video camera when they start their shift. When they arrive at a scene, they simply trigger the recording at the press of a button. Each officer carries a carer's book when on shift in which they outline the treatment provided to patients, which is supported by any video evidence captured.
All of the data around incidents is retained in compliance with POPIA and other legislation, ensuring the information in the carer's book and recorded by the bodyworn video is kept secure. Janse van Rensburg says: “Some local public safety agencies have been resistant to change and there are various policy challenges associated with the deployment of bodyworn video solutions, particularly in the public safety sector. However, our experience has shown that as long as the right policies are in place, members are well supported through the use of the technology.”
Qiniselani Mthembu, Motorola Solutions’ business leader for South Africa, says since the global pandemic, there has been a major uptick in public safety and commercial organisations investing in bodyworn video technology.
“From metro stations to supermarkets and of course for police, paramedics and other responders on the frontline, bodyworn video is enhancing safety and accountability as well as providing irrefutable evidence of interactions between people when it is needed most,” Mthembu says.
“Emergency Control SA's experience of using bodyworn video helps to show how public safety organisations derive significant benefits from the technology while complying with their operational and privacy policies without disrupting their daily workflows,” he said.
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