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West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service leverages Microsoft Copilot to empower colleagues across the service, improving accessibility and efficiency.

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West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service (WYFRS) provides critical rescue services to over two million people across nearly 800 square miles in the West Yorkshire area.

Operating from 40 fire stations across 5 districts, WYFRS firefighters respond to a variety of emergencies beyond fires, including road, rail, and air crashes, floods and water rescues and chemical incidents.

Key facts

Employees: Over 1,400 staff over 40 fire stations

Sector: Public sector – emergency services

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Solutions involved: Microsoft Copilot, Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate

Copilot is my best, most knowledgeable friend. Not only does it give me the jumping off point whenever I need to create a new document, it is able to tailor that document to our specific requirements for formatting, style etc.”

Steve Briddon, Watch Manager, West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service

Challenge

Like most organisations, WYFRS felt it was being held back by organisational processes which were not as efficient as they could be. It was finding that common administrative tasks such as minute-taking, email management, and report creation were proving to be time-consuming and inefficient.

WYFRS is proud to be an inclusive employer, committed to supporting staff with accessibility needs such as dyslexia to thrive in the workplace. In line with this commitment, the organisation was keen to explore the communications support that AI tools could provide. 

Recognising the need to modernise, WYFRS embarked on an ambitious, multi-year digital transformation journey to ensure it was in the best position to take advantage of the benefits of digital transformation and AI.

This included the migration of many of its legacy systems and process flows onto the Microsoft Power Platform, along with the use of Power Apps to allow the service to create its own bespoke apps for operational and support services. WYFRS has also automated many of its workflows through Power Automate.

With a solid digital foundation in place, WYFRS sought guidance from its long-term Delivery Partner Phoenix to design and implement a Microsoft Copilot solution that would fully leverage the benefits available from AI.

smiling women holding a laptop

With Copilot, WYFRS’s people gained an intelligent assistant that could assist them in almost every administrative task. Described by some colleagues as their “new best friend” Copilot was quickly adopted for a range of tasks, including:

  • Automated meeting transcription and minute-taking
  • Drafting of documents and presentations
  • Email summarisation and prioritisation
  • Accessibility support for neurodiverse staff
  • Enhanced collaboration and idea development
Man and women using a laptop

We’ve had people say they were spending four weeks generating a report—now it takes just a few hours.”

Kirsty James, Digital Transformation Manager, West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service

Outcomes

The benefits to the service have been numerous, instant, and seemingly limited only by imagination as teams continue to think of new ways to use it. The most immediate benefits include:

Time savings: tasks that once took weeks can be completed in a matter of hours or even minutes

Improved accessibility: staff with dyslexia can communicate more effectively and confidently by using Copilot in their writing

Embracing digital tools: high demand for Copilot licences reflects a growing appetite for digital tools across the service 

Before we implemented Copilot we were dealing with a number of issues, mostly with admin tasks. One of these was minute taking. Now we simply turn on Copilot during a meeting and the minutes are taken care of automatically. People just love it. As soon as someone hears about Copilot and how much time it’s saving other people, they immediately want a licence.”

Emily Chapman, Junior Project Manager, West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service

Our specialists are here to help solve your challenges

Ready to empower your teams with AI and streamline your operations? Talk to Phoenix today to explore how Microsoft Copilot and the Power Platform will transform your organisation.

Alternatively, email us at [email protected] or call 01904 562200 and one of our specialists will be in touch to discuss your requirements.