BUSINESSES in South East Wales are to become the first in the world to be protected by a new tactical business protection system know as RMAPS.

The acronym stands for risk management and asset protection system.

It has been launched by the South Wales Fire & Rescue Service after three years' research and it's claimed to be a life-saving tool.

Covering personnel details as well as fire, water and smoke damage, it will be installed in computers on board fire engines.

Under traditional call-out procedures, firefighters are provided with just the address of a property and the type of emergency.

Using RMAPS, firefighters are able to use the computer technology on the fire engines to view specially-adapted floor plans of the premises, showing employee concentrations and the location of hazards such as gas mains or flammable materials.

This knowledge of a building's layout enables firefighters to navigate situations where smoke can cause visibility to drop less than two feet. In turn, casualties can be rapidly located and hazards swiftly neutralised. RMAPS' life-saving benefits are claimed to extend to those living in the close vicinity of commercial buildings.

The system is said to have significant financial ramifications. Ninety-five percent of insurance claims relating to fire are actually the result of water and smoke damage.

Because RMAPS allows firefighters to identify the location of business assets, these can often be protected from such damage.

The installation of RMAPS is marking the start of a region-wide drive to recruit businesses.

Over 65,000 employers will be contacted over the coming months.

Brian Fraser, chief fire officer for the region, said: "RMAPS is an exciting and innovative project which we are pleased to be associated with. "I recommend it to all commercial/industrial premises in South Wales."

RMAPS chief co-ordinator Phillip Loader said: "I think this move will confirm to the South Wales business community what a high level of commitment the Fire and Rescue Service has to its protection.

"The foresight of the fire service management team means that South Wales has beaten the rest of the world in having RMAPS installed."