Published June 13 by PRNewswire

The future of emergency communications demonstrated
Automatic crash notification: From the patient to the PSAP to the Trauma Center 

PRNewswire

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — SCC Communications Corp. and leading experts in public safety technology will present a documentary, "Automatic Crash Notification: From the Patient to the PSAP to the Trauma Center," on Tuesday, June 13, 2000 at the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah. 

Based on a collaborative 9-1-1 Automatic Crash Notification (ACN) trial demonstration conducted early last week, the documentary will show how mission-critical emergency crash information can be delivered from a sensor-equipped automobile to a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) using existing 9-1-1 technology. 

Participating in the trial demonstration with SCC were organizations operating at the cutting edge of next generation emergency communications: Greater Harris County 9-1-1 Emergency Network (the Network), Veridian Engineering, Plant Equipment Inc. (PEI) and Combix Technologies. "We are pleased to see NENA members taking the initiative to test these new technologies and public safety solutions together," said W. Mark Adams, NENA's executive director.

"Collaborating to make these types of solutions work in the best way possible for the nation's public is part of what NENA is all about." 

The ACN demonstration was included as a part of an annual Traffic Safety Fair at the Niagara Falls Air Force Base. Veridian Corporation equipped the two cars used in the trial with its ACN devices. As the crash occurred, the ACN devices collected and instantaneously transmitted the crash data through the wireless phone system to the Emergency Communications Network maintained by SCC. SCC combined the voice of the passenger with information about the car and its occupants, the severity of the crash, and the location of the accident. 

The voice and data was then delivered through the existing E9-1-1 system and routed to a dispatcher's position at the Houston Fire Department, in Houston, Texas, who was acting as the test PSAP for this demonstration. The voice and collision data traveled from New York through SCC's Emergency Communications Network, and was delivered to the Houston Fire Department dispatcher in less than one minute. The information regarding the severity of the car crash was displayed on PEI's VESTA(TM) 9-1-1 equipment, while PEI's ORION(TM) mapping system plotted the precise location of the crash on the dispatcher's map display.

The emergency call-takers at the Houston Fire Department were then able to immediately determine the severity of the crash and dispatch the most appropriate emergency response team. 

The demonstration also included a real time transmission of crash data to a model computer program. This crash data was delivered in less than four minutes. This type of program recreates the crash data on a computer screen and then enables doctors and nurses to view crash details before the patient arrives at the emergency room and to anticipate the types of injuries that may have occurred. Combix Technologies provided the data feed through the computer program. 

"This project is a wonderful example of technology providers coming together to improve public safety," said John Melcher, deputy director for Greater Harris County 9-1-1. "Technology such as this will provide 9-1-1 dispatchers with tools they have never had before," said Melcher. 

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