Vic: Fresh Intergraph probe into power cut

AAP General News (Australia)
12-21-2000
Vic: Fresh Intergraph probe into power cut

MELBOURNE, Dec 21 AAP - The Victorian Government today ordered an immediate investigation
of a report that Melbourne's troubled triple-0 emergency phone room, run by the Intergraph
company, broke down completely yesterday morning.

The allegation was made by a state government monitor, Des Bahr (Bahr), who said for
six minutes early on Wednesday, Melbourne's triple-0 emergency service, covering police,
fire and ambulance ground to a halt.

Through its lawyers, Intergraph denied its system failed completely yesterday morning
although it conceded a possum in a substation caused a power cut.

Meanwhile the ambulance officers' union, which has always opposed the Intergraph contract,
demanded the state government resume control of Melbourne's emergency communications system.

The row broke after Mr Bahr told the Metropolitan Ambulance Service Royal Commission
that communications at the Intergraph emergency call centre went down shortly after 1am
for about six minutes.

Intergraph is currently embroiled in the royal commission, which is closely scrutinising
its performance in running Melbourne's emergency services call centre.

Police and Emergency Services Minister Andre Haermeyer (Andre Haermeyer) said he had
called for a full report on the incident today.

"The information I've been given to date indicates that there was a power surge which
caused a failure at the centre," he told Melbourne ABC radio.

"We have been at pains to impress upon Intergraph that they have an obligation to continue
to provide a service in accordance with the terms of the contract until some other arrangements
are made or until that contract expires," he said.

Kim Hargrave, for Intergraph, said Mr Bahr's evidence had been "sensationally reported"

in a manner that had undermined public confidence in the ambulance dispatch service.

"It has caused my client great damage, it has caused MAS (Metropolitan Ambulance Service)
and BEST (Bureau of Emergency Services Telecommunications, Mr Bahr's employers) great
damage, and the public is left believing that there was some serious outage which affected
public safety," Mr Hargrave said.

He said the triple-0 system never failed and no-one needing an ambulance that night
was unable to do so.

Mr Bahr's employers, BEST, endorsed Mr Hargrave's stand that the Intergraph telephone
system remained operational throughout the night.

But counsel for the Metropolitan Ambulance Service, Peter Clark, SC, told the royal
commission today that the Intergraph system might have encountered problems for much longer
than six minutes.

He said he had been told Intergraph's troubles unfolded over a much longer period that evening.

Meanwhile Ambulance Employees Association secretary Rod Morris said the incident was
very serious.

"Even though there may have been no calls in those five to six minutes, there was a
potential there for a peak (of) 20 calls," he told Melbourne ABC radio.

"The minister is responsible for public safety in this regard and the minister should
take some action to bring that function back under the government control."

The United States-based company has said it does not intend to renew its contract when
it expires in September 2002.

The Royal Commission was adjourned until January 18.

AAP bp/jlw/ra/clr/mg/bwl

KEYWORD: INTERGRAPH NIGHTLEAD

2000 AAP Information Services Pty Limited (AAP) or its Licensors.