Creating a European disaster management system
Europe has a long history of mass casualty incidents, such as earthquakes and floods. In 1908 and 1968, some of the most destructive quakes in recent history levelled several cities in Italy near Sicily, and the region has seen continuous seismic activity through the 20th and 21st centuries. Beyond the initial impact, these events can trigger secondary disasters such as chemical spills or fires. These cascading effects can pose tremendous challenges to first responders whose early intervention is crucial. In the EU-funded Search and Rescue project, a team of researchers designed a new technological framework for first responders across different countries and for various types of disasters. The project advanced 21 technologies at different stages of development towards market readiness, and evaluated them in seven extensive field exercises. “These exercises were centred around specific use cases, including ones for earthquakes, flooding, mountain rescues, forest fires,” says Christos Ntanos, research director at the National Technical University of Athens and project coordinator of Search and Rescue.
Developing a common software platform
As most of the new technologies had an ICT component, one of the major innovations in the project was the development of a common software platform – the SnR platform. All of the technologies connect to this platform, which monitors the incident response and helps allocate resources effectively. It integrates multiple features from several command levels, starting from the Centre of Operations for a disaster, all the way to the first responder in the field. The platform is a cloud-based solution that consolidates real-time incident data, communication tools, maps, people, resources, vehicles and triage information. “It also has smart features for prioritising victims and helping design the emergency response,” explains Ntanos. In the field, first responders wear a smart uniform developed through the project, which is equipped with wearable and mobile devices that monitor vital signs, hazardous material levels and radiation exposure in real time. “We have also developed smartphone applications to optimise volunteer resource management during crises to assess available human resources and assign them to incidents,” Ntanos adds. For skills enhancement, an e-learning platform was developed with training modules on safety and security management, along with operational guidance on the use of the developed tools.
Testing the solutions in the field
After designing and developing the technologies to an adequate level, the team then tested them in seven field exercises in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Romania and Spain. The exercises focused on scenarios involving victims trapped under rubble, but also included: a response to a terrorist attack using CBRN materials at an airport; a cross-border scenario during a heavy storm that caused a large gas explosion and loss of communications; a forest fire; a mountain rescue of plane crash victims; a collapsed residential building; and an explosion with an ammonia leak. “We confirmed that several new technologies have been advanced substantially toward operational use, while others still require multiple stages of fine-tuning, miniaturisation, hardening and testing,” notes Ntanos.
Bringing the system to market
The immediate next steps for the project involve engaging with both public and private stakeholders to obtain further funding and establish partnerships. “This is aimed at the continuous refinement of the platform and its associated technologies, facilitating their transition from prototypes to market-ready products,” says Ntanos.
Keywords
Search and Rescue, disaster, earthquake, first responders, system, solutions, emergency, response
