In an emergency, every second counts. The ability to quickly and effectively share information and coordinate resources is crucial to save lives, mitigate threats and protect continuity of service. Across Norway RAYVN’s easy-to-use critical event management solution enables government agencies to prepare for and manage critical events and emergencies. Read on to discover how Odd John Resser, the Emergency Planning Officer for Kongsberg Municipality, leverages RAYVN for streamlined emergency preparedness and response in the face of floods, fire, accidents and pollution.

Kongsberg Municipality takes a dedicated approach to emergency preparedness and critical event management. Centrally, the team consists of the mayor, the chief administrative officer and the heads of the municipality's departments. A staff of 10 includes the Emergency Preparedness Planner, the Fire Chief and the Municipal Doctor, among others.

Everyday operations are, of course, part of the plan. Moreover, the community of Kongsberg faces some very clear risks that require tactical and strategic planning.

• Infection spread and pandemic.
• Flooding is a significant concern because the municipality is located in a river valley.
• Fire is another threat given that the municipality has a large industrial area.
• Accidents and incidents pose challenges, especially for local manufacturers and security/defence agencies.

In each of these major risk areas, Resser has worked with colleagues to develop comprehensive plans and procedures for emergency preparedness and rapid response.

RAYVN’s intuitive solution makes it easy to digitalize emergency preparedness plans and processes and deploy the solution across any organization. When asked about his experience with implementation and training, Resser said, ‘I can sum up the RAYVN experience in three words: simple, effective and clear.’

Overall, the deployment and training took considerably less time than estimated. With the guidance of webinars and e-learning courses, Resser very quickly digitalized the plans for Kongsberg Municipality. The intuitive solution made it simple to create and modify logs, meetings and report templates; complete the team training; set up the account with all users; and train staff. Emergency response staff, who use the solution for day-to-day critical event management, quickly gained the skills needed to become productive with RAYVN.

Today the RAYVN solution meets Kongsberg Municipality’s needs for emergency response in real-time. According to Resser, ‘the fast and efficient notification system enables the team to send timely and accurate information to relevant stakeholders: to mobilize everyone rapidly and coordinate effectively during any incident or emergency situation.’

Indeed, the simplicity and responsiveness of the RAYVN solution were put to the test just before Christmas of 2023 when a major pollution incident required collaboration to resolve the situation. Personnel not typically involved in crisis management needed to provide input urgently: there was very little time for training or mobilization. Resser and his team set up accounts for external partners, so that they could log updates, including pictures and PDF reports. This strategy proved highly effective because RAVYN's intuitive solution enabled everyone to work together easily and effectively in real-time to resolve the incident.

‘With RAYVN everyone gains instant situational awareness and a clear understanding of the unfolding situation as actions are taken to resolve any incident,’ says Resser. Efficient and collaborative critical event management is possible thanks to RAYVN’s support for instant notifications and real-time updates. Now Kongsberg Municipality can respond rapidly to any incident thanks to improved overall communication and coordination.

RAYVN’s flexible solution simplifies the management of complex critical events, which include one or more minor or subordinate events within an overall emergency response. With RAYVN’s sub-incident functionality, Kongsberg Municipality can now break down complex incidents into smaller, more manageable units of action, providing a laser-like focus for many simultaneous actions. Thanks to time-stamped logs and updates, it’s easy to generate a post-incident report that collates all actions taken together in a single report containing all the granular details.

Coordination is simpler as well with RAYVN's room functionality. In the event of a community storm, for example, an evacuation center and a psychosocial crisis team can each document the same event in dedicated ‘rooms,’ such that each team can focus on their own specific areas of expertise and action. At the same time, important information can be shared between the rooms for effective teamwork and overall coordination. Subsequently, it’s easy to generate a single post-incident report that combines the logs from the rooms into a single account of the incident, including all actions taken to resolve the situation.

For Kongsberg Municipality, collaboration is crucial for emergency preparedness within the region and across multiple municipalities as well as through strategic cooperations with higher levels of government. ‘Digitalization makes a significant difference,’ said Resser. ‘In the past, we relied on phone and e-mail. Now we can communicate and coordinate actions needed seamlessly with RAYVN.’ Reporting is easier and facilitates the processes of working together, particularly among different agencies, for joint decision making and effective resource allocation.

Moreover, the RAYVN solution, with its support for collaboration with external stakeholders and partner organizations, offers the municipality the ability to build out the emergency response network. The network facilitates cross-agency cooperation during emergencies, breaks down silos and promotes a unified response across the private and public sectors.

Kongsberg Municipality has already seen efficiency gains and improved coordination with the RAYVN solution. ‘The collaboration feature has the potential to revolutionize the way that different actors work together during emergencies,’ observed Resser. ‘I'm excited to see how it develops in the future.’

Indeed, Resser is currently working to get other agencies in the region to start using RAYVN, such as the police and the Norwegian Public Roads Administration. He is confident that this kind of collaboration will benefit the community by enabling enhanced coordination and responsiveness across the emergency response network.

Cross-agency cooperation as well as collaboration with external stakeholders and partner organizations are simpler than ever. For Kongsberg Municipality, as for communities across Norway, enhanced safety and security are among the many benefits of taking a fully coordinated, streamlined approach to emergency preparedness and incident management with RAYVN.