Emergency Response Center Research Articles

Test-Bed for Emergency Management Simulations

We present a test-bed for Emergency Management Simulations by contrasting two prototypes we have built, CAVIAR and Reverse 111. We outline the desirable design principles that guide our choices for simulating emergencies and implement these ideas in a modular system, which utilizes proactive crowd-sourcing to enable emergency response centers to contact civilians co-located with an emergency, to provide more information about the events. This aspect of proactive crowd-sourcing enables Emergency response centers to take into account that an emergency situation’s inherent nature is dynamic and that initial assumptions while deploying resources to the emergency may not hold, as the emergency unfolds. A number of independent entities, governmental and non-governmental are known to interact while mitigating emergencies. Our test-bed utilizes a number of agents to simulate various resource sharing policies amongst different administrative domains and non-profit civilian organizations that might pool their resources at the time of an emergency. A common problem amongst first responders is the lack of interoperability amongst their devices. In our test-bed, we integrate live caller data obtained from traces generated by Telecom New Zealand, which tracks cell-phone users and their voice and data calls across the network, to identify co-located crowds. The test-bed has five important components including means to select and simulate Events, Resources and Crowds and additionally provide a visual interface as part of a massive online multi-player game to simulate Emergencies in any part of the world. We also present our initial evaluation of some resource sharing policies in our intelligent agents, which are part of our test-bed.

Emergency (108) calls to the ambulance service in the state of Gujarat (India) that do not result in the patient being transported to hospital: an epidemiological study

Objective: To describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients who are not transported to hospital after an emergency (108) call to Gujarat EMRI emergency response center, the reason for non-transportation, and the priority assigned when the ambulance is dispatched. Methods: All non-transported patients from 1 December 2008 to 28 February 2009 were identified from the ambulance service command and control data. Epidemiological and clinical data were then obtained from the patient care record completed by the attending emergency medical technician (EMT) and compared with the initial critical code that determined the urgency of the ambulance response. Results: Data were obtained for 22186 patients who were not shifted during the study period. Less than one per cent of these calls were labeled critical (the most urgent category) at the time the call was received. Trauma (vehicular) accounted for 30.3% and pregnancy related emergency cases 16.1% of all non-transported calls. This group of patients were predominantly young adults (between 20 to 30 yrs old) and the majority (more than 99%) were identified as less urgent (non critical) at telephone triage. The mean time that an ambulance was committed to each non-transported call was 2hrs 67 minutes per day. Conclusions: This study shows that trauma (vehicular) account for a significant proportion of non-transported 108 calls inspite of assigning high priority when the call is first received. There could be major gains if some of these patients could be triaged to an alternative response, both in terms of increasing the ability of the ambulance service to respond faster to clinically more urgent calls and improving the cost effectiveness of the health service. Classifying calls into critical and non critical for dispatch system has been shown to be sensitive but this study suggests that its specificity may be poor, resulting in rapid responses to relatively minor problems. More research is required to determine such prioritisation can reliably and safely identify 108 calls where an alternative to an emergency ambulance would be a more appropriate response.

In-depth evaluation of the effects of an automatic emergency call system on road fatalities

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effects of an automatic emergency call system on accident consequences in Finland (ex-ante evaluation). In addition, the effects of the system on emergency response times and the effects of real-time information about the accident location were assessed. Methods The evaluation utilised in-depth accident reports collected by the road accident investigation teams during the period 2001–2003. The time delay between the accident occurrence and notification of the emergency response centre was estimated from information in the phone log of emergency response centres and from the information provided by the road accident investigation teams. Accuracy and potential errors by emergency callers in defining the accident site, as well as potential problems with rescue units finding the accident site, were examined with a survey sent to emergency response centres. Results and conclusions The main finding showed that the system could very probably have prevented 3.6% of the road fatalities investigated. In addition, it was assessed that the total preventive effect on road fatalities could be approximately 4–8% if possibly preventable fatalities were taken into account. The system has the greatest potential to save lives in cases where the emergency call would, with no automatic emergency call system, be made more than 5 min after the accident. In conclusion, the system is recommended for immediate and widespread implementation in Finland.

Seismic Screening of Public Facilities in Oregon’s Western Counties

The objective of this study was to use rapid visual screening (RVS) methods to identify potential seismic hazards for Oregon's public facilities, including schools, hospitals, fire stations, police stations, and emergency response centers. There were 1,075 buildings screened in nine western Oregon counties. This study is part of a larger effort under the 2005 Oregon Senate Bill 2 to assess the seismic needs and upgrade public facilities in Oregon. RVS methodology generally followed the Federal Emergency Management Agency's FEMA 154 Rapid Visual Screening of Buildings for Potential Hazards: A Handbook. This method identifies structural type and building characteristics that may indicate poor performance under the maximum considered earthquake (MCE). Each building is given a final score related to the probability of collapse under the MCE. Screening was conducted by four individuals over three months. Quality assurance (QA) testing on nine buildings examined consistency between screeners. QA results showed final scores varied between screeners depending on building size, structure type, and architectural cladding. FEMA 154 was developed using California buildings. Differences between Oregon and California construction and the use of FEMA 154 in Oregon are discussed in this paper, reviewing the Uniform Building Code (UBC) and Oregon Structural Specialty Code (OSSC) amendments. The study provided two important conclusions. First, the average final score for buildings screened fell below the FEMA 154 cut-off score of 2.0 Second, the OSSC had an exception to the UBC that allowed the construction of unreinforced masonry buildings two stories or less in height. With this context, screening results can help in assigning priorities for further analysis and seismic retrofits.

Multievent Crisis Management Using Noncooperative Multistep Games

The optimal allocation of resources to emergency locations in the event of multiple crises in an urban environment is an intricate problem, especially when the available resources are limited. In such a scenario, it is important to allocate emergency response units in a fair manner based on the criticality of the crisis events and their requests. In this research, a crisis management tool is developed which incorporates a resource allocation algorithm. The problem is formulated as a game-theoretic framework in which the crisis events are modeled as the players, the emergency response centers as the resource locations with emergency units to be scheduled, and the possible allocations as strategies. The payoff is modeled as a function of the criticality of the event and the anticipated response times. The game is played assuming a specific region within a certain locality of the crisis events to derive an optimal allocation. If a solution is not feasible, the perimeter of the locality in consideration is increased and the game is repeated until convergence. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the efficacy of the proposed methodology and metrics are derived to quantify the fairness of the solution. A regression analysis is performed to establish the statistical significance of the results

Geostatistical interpolation of space–time rainfall on Tamshui River basin, Taiwan

AbstractTaiwan suffers from heavy storm rainfall during the typhoon season. This usually causes large river runoff, overland flow, erosion, landslides, debris flows, loss of power, etc. In order to evaluate storm impacts on the downstream basin, a real‐time hydrological modelling is used to estimate potential hazard areas. This can be used as a decision‐support system for the Emergency Response Center, National Fire Agency Ministry, to make ‘real‐time’ responses and minimize possible damage to human life and property. This study used 34 observed events from 14 telemetered rain‐gauges in the Tamshui River basin, Taiwan, to study the spatial–temporal characteristics of typhoon rainfall. In the study, regionalized theory and cross‐semi‐variograms were used to identify the spatial‐temporal structure of typhoon rainfall. The power form and parameters of the cross‐semi‐variogram were derived through analysis of the observed data. In the end, cross‐validation was used to evaluate the performance of the interpolated rainfall on the river basin. The results show the derived rainfall interpolator represents the observed events well, which indicates the rainfall interpolator can be used as a spatial‐temporal rainfall input for real‐time hydrological modelling. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Planning an Emergency Response Centre in Southern Taiwan Science Park

Since the 1980s, various types of accidents, such as fire, explosion, and toxic release, have occurred in science parks (SC s) in Taiwan. The aftermath included financial losses, damaged reputations, business and operation interruption, property damage, and loss of lives. Considering loss prevention, this study plans an emergency response centre (ERC) in order to properly and proactively cope with incidents occurring in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSIP) since its inception in 1996. This article also design and promulgate the use of central monitoring system (CMS) between the ERC and various plants located in the STSIP. With a view to alleviating hazards, the integrated CMS could comprehensively bring a safer environment to all workers and staff at STSIP. Only through the reviews of table-top or functional exercise and real accidents, a comprehensive, fail-safe, and real-life system could be establish to lessen the hazards in STSIP.

Synoptic and Mesoscale Analysis of a High-Latitude Derecho–Severe Thunderstorm Outbreak in Finland on 5 July 2002

Abstract On 5 July 2002, a rapidly propagating bow echo formed over eastern Finland causing severe wind damage in an exceptionally large area. The Ministry of the Interior’s Emergency Response Centers received nearly 400 thunderstorm-related wind damage reports. The 5 July 2002 case is the highest-latitude derecho that has ever been documented. The bow echo developed ahead of a northeastward-moving 500-hPa trough inside of the warm sector of a secondary low and moved north-northwestward on the eastern (warm) side of the quasi-stationary front. The leading edge of the bow echo was oriented perpendicular to the low-level southerly wind shear and the convective system propagated along the 850-hPa equivalent potential temperature ridge with a speed that was close to the maximum wind throughout the troposphere. It is particularly noteworthy that the synoptic pattern was oriented about 90° counterclockwise when compared with the typical synoptic pattern associated with warm season derechos in the United States. This kind of synoptic situation associated along with the derecho mesoscale convective system’s (MCS’s) motion toward the north-northwest has not been mentioned in literature before. The MCS started as a cluster of thunderstorms and became a bow echo a few hours later. The leading edge of the bow echo had a strong reflectivity gradient and the region of stratiform precipitation was behind the strongest echoes. At the most intense stage, a rear-inflow notch was visible both in radar and satellite pictures. It was in good accordance with the location of an area of the most severe damage. Moreover, the storm-relative winds derived from the proximity sounding in the wake of the system showed the existence of rear-to-front flow above 850 hPa. The downdraft air appeared to originate from 4 km ASL, where the relative humidity was less than 50%. This probably led to enhanced evaporative cooling and the intense cold pool, which propagated faster than the mean wind. In the mesoscale, the 5 July 2002 derecho had many similarities to other derecho MCSs that have been described in the literature.

Anthrax bioterrorism: lessons learned and future directions.

n September 11, 2001, the United States experienced the worst terrorist attack in its history. As the nation sought to deal with this tragedy, it would face a second wave of terrorism—this time, in the form of a biological attack. The suspicion of anthrax in a patient by an astute infectious disease clinician along with capable clinical and public health laboratory staff in Florida would lead to the discovery that Bacillus anthracis spores had been intentionally distributed through the postal system, causing 22 cases of anthrax, including 5 deaths, and forever changing the realm of public health. In this issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases, numerous individuals involved in the public health aspect of the anthrax investigation document their experiences. Articles describe the epidemiologic and laboratory investigations, applied research findings, environmental assessment and remediation experiences, workplace safety issues, prophylaxis and clinical care information, international aspects, and collaborations between law enforcement and public health officials. The articles also highlight the widespread efforts made to identify the source of exposure and prevent illness among those exposed. While many of the individuals involved in this effort are acknowledged in these articles, many others are not, including the large numbers of medical, public health, law enforcement, and emergency response personnel throughout the country and the world who dealt with the numerous hoaxes perpetrated in the weeks following the attack. We recognize and thank them for their heroic efforts. This issue also provides an opportunity to review the valuable lessons we have learned from these experiences. Foremost among them is the knowledge that we cannot afford to be complacent. Throughout the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) as well as across other federal, state, and local agencies, we remain alert for the first evidence of a disease outbreak. Multiple systems are now in place, both in the United States and internationally, to detect initial cases. On the local level, clinicians and laboratorians play a key role in this process. Activities such as monitoring emergency room visits, pharmacy requests, calls to emergency response and poison control centers, and animal disease registries for unusual occurrences are also expanding. These lessons have also led us at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to change the way we operate. Changes have been made within our programs, among our staff and partners, and in our coordination with other federal agencies. Many of these changes have been based on valuable input provided by public and private sector experts during numerous consultations. Terrorism response capacity is being integrated into existing infrastructures, further strengthening the foundation of public health. The anthrax cases highlighted the importance of the “golden triangle” of response between clinicians and clinical microbiologists, the health-care delivery system, and public health officials. Steps have been taken to strengthen these and other critical linkages, including those between professionals in the human, veterinary, and public health communities and between the public health, law enforcement, and emergency response systems. DHHS has made available through CDC more than $918 million for state and local health departments to enhance their terrorism preparedness programs. These funds are intended to strengthen capacity to respond to bioterrorism, other infectious disease emergencies, and other urgent public health threats. Existing programs that proved invaluable during the events of last fall, such as the Laboratory Response Network for Bioterrorism (LRN) and the National Pharmaceutical Stockpile (NPS), both described in this issue in the article by Perkins et al., have also been strengthened. During the anthrax attacks, laboratories within the LRN tested more than 125,000 clinical specimens and approximately 1 million environmental specimens. The number of these specialty laboratories participating in this network has now increased to more than 100, with at least one in each state, enabling widespread testing for microbes that might be used in a terrorist attack to cause illnesses such as anthrax, tularemia, plague, and botulism. New facilities have been opened, and improvements in others are in progress or planned for the near future. The NPS has also been O

Building Up an On-Line Plant Information System for the Emergency Response Center of the Hungarian Nuclear Safety Directorate

The main design features, services, and human-machine interface characteristics are described of the CERTA VITA on-line plant information system developed and installed by KFKI AEKI at the Nuclear Safety Directorate (NSD) of the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA) in cooperation with experts from the NSD. The Center for Emergency Response, Training, and Analysis (CERTA) located at the headquarters of NSD, Budapest, Hungary, was established in 1997. The center supports the NSD installation, radiological monitoring, and advisory team in case of nuclear emergencies, with appropriate hardware and software for communication, diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction. The vital information transfer and analysis (VITA) system represents an important part of the CERTA, as it provides for the continuous remote inspection of the four VVER-440/V213 units of the Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant (NPP). The on-line information system maintains a continuous data link with the NPP through a managed leased line that connects CERTA to a gateway computer located at the Paks NPP. The present scope of the system is a result of a 4-yr development project: In addition to the basic safety parameter display functions, the VITA system now includes an on-line break parameter estimation module, an extensive training package based on simulated transients, and on-line data transfer capabilities to feed accident diagnosis/analysis codes.

Establishing a National Emergency Response Centre

Following the break-up of Czechoslovakia to form the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic in January 1993 it has been necessary to establish nuclear emergency response centres for the newly formed nuclear regulatory authorities of the two countries. Initially IAEA sent missions from the UK to each country to determine their emergency response requirements. Following these missions the UK Department of Trade and Industry have funded the establishment of emergency response centres over the last three years. Providing an organisation with the equipment to respond to a nuclear incident does not ensure an adequate response. It is essential to ensure that procedures for responding to an emergency are developed. Emergency exercises have been planned and executed to test specific aspects of the arrangements for responding to nuclear incidents. This paper describes the various stages of work carried out to establish fully operational emergency centres in Bratislava and Prague.

Second trip system for NRU research reactor

For the past four decades, the NRU research reactor has played an important role at the Chalk River Laboratories, Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, serving as one of its major research and isotope production facilities. To ensure that it continues as an effective facility, compliant with the current safety standards, a comprehensive upgrade program is underway. Adding a second trip system (STS) is part of this upgrade program, aiming at improving the effectiveness and reliability of the overall shutdown function. This document describes the main features and basic principles of the STS. The STS is an independent, seismically qualified trip system, that guarantees reactor shutdown even if the existing trip system fails. It is designed based on 2 out of 3 general coincidence logic, with minimal interferences and changes to the existing system. In addition to the manual trip in the main control room, a remote manual trip is provided in the new Qualified Emergency Response Centre, which is also seismically qualified and always accessible. Thus, for any reason, if the main control room becomes uninhabitable, the reactor still can be manually shut down from this centre.

Technical considerations in the selection of a personal emergency response system.

It is the purpose of this report to provide an internal review of the personal response system (PRS) in our hospital. Our system is coordinated by volunteers without emergency physician supervision. It uses antiquated equipment in the client's homes and emergency response center. Calls are answered by individuals who have not been trained as dispatchers, and who do not record pertinent performance data. The technical considerations involved in the selection and operation of an ideal PRS system are described.

Design of an Emergency Response Center

Summary This paper describes the design of BP Exploration's Emergency Centre in Aberdeen. It reviews human factors considered to reduce stress, room functionality, communications, and information technology. It also describes the working emergency-response organization. Introduction BP first established a room dedicated to emergency response in 1976, following a fatal accident involving a helicopter in the Forties oil field. People dealing with the accident felt the direct impact of the media for People dealing with the accident felt the direct impact of the media for the first time. The main telephone switchboard rapidly became saturated with calls, making it extremely difficult to summon emergency support. Many key lessons were learned from that accident; the first was the need for a room dedicated to emergency response. So BP built and equipped a new room in its operation control center, which became known as the Emergency Control Room. An adjacent equipment room housed a telephone exchange that was independent of the company's telephone exchange, which facilitated group calls and direct communication with the company's offshore installations. The accident also showed how important it is to record as much information as possible during an emergency. Previous experience showed the need for a team with disparate skills during Previous experience showed the need for a team with disparate skills during emergencies. The wide variety of emergencies possible in the North Sea requires a multidiscipline team on permanent standby. The initial call broadcast to this team failed because of technical problems at a local paging company. A paging service under our direct control resolved the paging company. A paging service under our direct control resolved the problem. problem. The way that teams react during emergencies varies. Delayed actions or messages can cost lives. A system of checklists, known as "Prompt," can resolve this problem. Prompt provides a checklist for team activities; individual prompts also exist for each team member. Prompt initially consisted of a sequence of 35-mm color slides controlled Prompt initially consisted of a sequence of 35-mm color slides controlled from a numeric key pad by the manager. A large central screen displayed actions that the team needed to complete during an emergency. An emergency coordinator regularly updated slides after accidents and exercises to give feedback on any lessons learned. However, this process could take 3 weeks. A computerized Prompt allows system update within minutes. The new Emergency Response Centre meets several requirements.A room dedicated to emergencies.Separate installation of equipment and facilities.A multidiscipline response team on permanent standby.A call-out service.Team communication facilities.Prepared checklists.Emergency records.Examination of team performance after an accident.An emergency coordinator.Up-to-date information.

Personal emergency response systems.

A personal response system is a signaling device that summons help during an emergency. Although personal response systems vary widely, there are three components. The first component is the electronic hardware in the home, which consists of portable and installed sensors and the control console. The second component is the emergency response center, which is either provider-based or manufacturer-based. The third component involves the dispatch of appropriate assistance. The primary users of personal response systems are women in their seventies and eighties who live alone and who have cardiac and musculoskeletal problems, which make them prone to falls. The frequency of personal response system use varies from an average of 0.44 to 0.84 emergencies per subscriber per year. Program coordinators believe that personal response systems help to delay institutionalization, reduce admissions to hospitals, substantially shorten hospital stays, and reduce the duration of home attendant services. The most favorable impact of the personal response system has been its psychologic value to the users and their families.

It's a lifesaver: A case study in emergency communication technology

A case study in emergency communication technology is presented. In the system described, each subscriber (handicapped or elderly person) has a small remote transmitter which he or she carries on the wrist or around the neck as a necklace. If an emergency occurs, the subscriber pushes the transmitter button, which triggers the `home communicator'. This microcomputer sends a `help' message over the telephone line to an Emergency Response Center (ERC), which is usually the emergency desk of a hospital. The essential elements of the system and the technical problems are discussed.

Emergency Monitoring, Assessment and Response System for Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant

An Emergency Assessment and Response System (EARS) has been developed which provides live-time quantifications and graphical display of radioactivity releases from the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. The EARS system consists of offsite and onsite monitors, a minicomputer for data acquisition and dose calculations, and a color graphics display network to provide plume projection maps and other assessment information to offsite locations. EARS is interfaced to selected channels of the plant radiation monitoring system, and to a mobile laboratory which has both digital and voice RF communications links. EARS calculates doses for offsite locations based on data received from the various interfacing systems. These computed isodose plume results, along with input data, source terms, and meteorological parameters, are transmitted via data communications to computational equipment located at several offsite emergency response centers. Each offsite location will have the capability to graphically display plume projection maps and data, and to provide hard copy to the user. Displays at different locations can be of an identical form for the purpose of response planning and coordination among various agencies. Displayed information may be selected from several forms of calculated data and map presentations. Mapping capabilities are provided to superimpose plume boundaries, dose rates, population densities, and evacuation routes. Color graphics and printouts are used to increase the information content and readability of information.