SECURITY AND EMERGENCY VEHICLE MANAGEMENT

Transcription

1 SECURITY AND EMERGENCY VEHICLE MANAGEMENT Index Purpose Description Relevance for Large Scale Events Options Technologies Impacts Integration potential Implementation Best Cases and Examples 1 of 10

2 Purpose The aim of such systems is to ensure rapid intervention in the case of an emergency or security alert and thereby to safeguard the health and safety of the people involved. In order to guarantee an efficient response, it is necessary to set up in advance a system of the management for security and emergency vehicles. The main objectives of ITS for emergency vehicle management are: to improve the safety of travel for those involved, e.g. for injured persons; to increase the efficiency of the emergency service by reducing travel time (e.g. from the event location to a hospital or medical centre); to optimize trip planning from the emergency vehicle station to final destination. to reset ordinary traffic conditions as soon as the emergency has ceased. Emergency vehicle management requires the integration of several kinds of application and equipment: Vehicle Fleet Management; On Board Units, Geo Positioning Systems and Traffic Sensors. By automatically processing data from the different applications, the software components are able to plan the emergency trip in accordance with the number of vehicles available, the location of the place where the event has occurred, and the traffic density along arcs of the road network. The main advantage of implementing a system of this kind is that it facilitates rapid intervention in an emergency situation which can make it possible to save human lives and rescue injured persons. In addition, a timely rescue action reduces the time required for clearing up operations and the rapid restoration of normal traffic flows. Description This system is based on the following components: A central server which collects data from different databases, an Operations Centre with operators to answer the call and manage the emergency mobile devices installed on the emergency vehicles, dedicated software for each component. The Operations Centre, equipped with specific software, collects all emergency calls. The operators, helped by the software, gather all necessary information from the user in a phone interview and locate the emergency mission on a digital map. Dedicated software matches this position with that of the emergency vehicles currently available and sends to the onboard device of the nearest vehicle a message containing the GPS coordinates of the destination and information about the level of urgency. 2 of 10

3 Relevance for Large Scale Events The efficient management of emergency vehicles is important in ordinary conditions, but especially so during large events where there are likely to be high concentrations of people present and also a heightened security risk. During such events, however, ensuring an efficient system of emergency intervention involves additional problems. The large number of people and the possible overload of the transport network, requires a more complex management strategy and extra efforts to guarantee safety and security of all involved. Even though a specific and detailed study of the transport situation will need to be carried out, the basic system functionalities and performance will be the same in both ordinary scenarios and large scale events. It is important to notice that emergency services are generally classified according to levels of priority. For each level a different protocol must be followed. The levels of priority are as follows: (0)Ordinary procedure; (1)Large scale events; (2)Emergency procedures for natural disasters not covered; (3)Maxi Emergency. In case of Large Scale Event - protocol (1) - a simplified procedure is normally foreseen, consisting of: a) Streamlined data management (to speed up the mission, some fields are neglected in the mission preparation stage); b) Possibility of using special emergency vehicles (e.g. for chemical, bacteriological or radioactive risks); c) Possibility of using operative procedures already stored in the central server, which are based on previous similar events. Options With regard to security and emergency vehicle management systems, we have to take in account two variants. The first kind of system consists of emergency vehicle fleet management, the second is related to automatic emergency call systems. As far as the former is concerned, according to the type of emergency, different kinds of vehicle fleet may be involved, involving different management centers. For this reason, a fleet management system for multiple service operators must be used. The second variant involves an innovative approach for dealing with emergency calls. It consists of a system which enables automatic communication between an onboard unit (OBU) installed on a vehicle and the emergency centre (Public Safety Answering Point). In order to request help, the user does not need to contact the centre by phone directly. When the onboard sensors detect a collision, the OBU connects automatically with the emergency centre. This guarantees a timely intervention even in the case of a serious accident. It also facilitates the efficient distribution of resources according to the location of the accident and the magnitude of the emergency. 3 of 10

4 Figure 1 E-Call system (automated emergency call system) Technologies The main technologies involved are those used for positioning and communication. With regard to the positioning of emergency vehicles and the emergency location, an important function is that of map matching between the digital maps provided by the Geographic Information System (GIS) and data from the onboard GPS devices. The Geographic Information System integrates different databases containing geographically referenced data. The user can interact with the system in different ways, e.g. he/she can obtain information by means of a query or can analyze and manipulate obtained data according to the information in his possession. The GIS is composed of: Digital Cartography obtained by transferring a hard copy map or survey plan into a digital georeferenced form by means of a CAD based program. Datasets, concerning different types of information (e.g. infrastructure identification, building addresses and features, geology, etc.), associated to the geographic coordinates. The Global Positioning System (GPS) is able to locate a device on the earth by means of communication between this object and a set of satellites. The satellites are equipped with an atomic clock to guarantee high accuracy of time measurement. Each satellite emits a dedicated signal containing the time in which the signal is emitted. The receiver on the earth captures this signal, recognizes the satellite which has emitting the signal and, with reference to its orbit (satellite orbits are stored in the receiver memory), calculates the distance between itself and the satellite. This is done by calculating the time elapsed between the sending of the signal and its delivery. In order to obtain an accurate positioning of the receiver, it is necessary to repeat this calculation for at least four satellites. 4 of 10

5 Figure 2 GPS architecture Communication between emergency vehicles and the Operations Centre can be enhanced in two ways: Using GPRS (the General Packet Radio Service) i.e. cellular phone technology. This is an extension of the Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) technology and enables the transfer of data in a packet switched cellular mode. This technology enables: Point-to Point internet network connection (IP protocol), Point-to-Multipoint connection (e.g. group call) and Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). TETRA: the Terrestrial Trunked Radio (or Trans-European Trunked Radio) system, which is a communication technology, based on mobile radio, used specifically by police forces and ambulance services. According to need, this system can operate in group-calling mode or one-toone communication (walkie-talkie without the normal range limitation). In addiction the system can act as a cell phone with direct connection to the other TETRA users or to the Public Switching Telephone Network. In the specific case of emergency communication, terminals are provided with an emergency button which let the communication override other activities taking place at the same time. Impacts The emergency call system associated with emergency vehicle management has been investigated by different research projects and assessment research initiatives. The following table summarizes the results of these analyses. 5 of 10

6 Project Number of fatalities e-merge Reduction of 5-10% Number of serious injuries Reduction of 5-10% Area of investigation EU15 Additional considerations Reduction of time of arrival of emergency vehicle from 21.2 to 11.7 min. (rural context) and 13 to 8 min. (urban context). AINO study Reduction of 4.7%-8% Finland eimpact Reduction of 5.8% Increasing of 0.1% (due to a change from fatalities to injuries) EU25. Percentages are evaluated considering 100% of vehicles equipped with e-call. SEiSS From 2,492 to 7,477 fatalities have been changed to severe injuries From 30,013 to 45,019 severe injuries have been changed to slight injuries EU25 TRACE Reduction of 10.5% (in urban context) and 12% (in rural context) SBD Reduction of 3% Australia This case considers the application of the OnStar system (GM s proprietary automatic collision notification system) Reduction of 2% UK These results refer to a projection for 2020, in which two thirds of vehicles are considered to be equipped with the ecall system. Table 1 Analysis of impact of emergency vehicle management systems [1] 6 of 10

7 Integration potential The integration of emergency vehicle fleet management with the traffic management system has significant benefits. In particular, by connecting the Emergency Operations Centre (OC) to the Traffic Management Centre (TMC), it is possible to make available real time traffic data which permits the optimization of emergency vehicle routing. It also makes it possible to implement a system of priority for emergency vehicles at signalized intersections. By modifying the signal phases, the waiting time at traffic lights can be reduced or eliminated, reducing the trip time. Integration makes possible the availability of information not only from the TMC to the OC, but also in the other direction. When an emergency event occurs, the Operations Centre can send information to the Traffic Management Centre, which can as a result update the traffic plan to minimize the impact on other traffic. If linked with an information system, traffic can be advised to take alternative routes. Implementation the central server coordinates and gathers all the input and output data needed to run the software. In particular, as far as the Operations Centre is concerned, specific software helps the operator define the emergency mission in detail. Information from the service user is collected and classified in relation to the destination, the type of emergency and kind of emergency vehicle needed. This input data is matched with information from the GIS (availability and position of vehicle) and from the central server to permit optimum. Communication with the emergency vehicle can be implemented by GPRS or TETRA technologies. In both cases the OC sends the emergency vehicle the coordinates or the best path to reach the mission destination. The vehicle can also update the OC about the operation of the mission by sending messages. A special kind of implementation consists of the European emergency call technology (e-call). This innovative application involves the generation of an emergency call either manually (by the vehicle occupants) or automatically via the activation of in-vehicle sensors (when an accident occurs). The vehicle involved in an accident then automatically sends a message to the OC or Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) containing key information about the accident: e.g. time, location and vehicle description. In addition, if the e-call user is subscribed to a Service Provider, further information about the user is contained in the emergency message. The technologies involved in this enhanced implementation are the same of for the basic implementation. The automatic positioning of the vehicle is carried out by GPS, and the automatic communication to the OC is transmitted by GPRS technology. 7 of 10

8 Examples Public transport security/lille (France) The measure tries to solve the main problems concerning the need of improving attractiveness of public transport through a higher feeling of security and safety. Objectives / Innovative Aspects The main problems to be solved by the measure relate to the necessity of improve attractiveness of PT through a higher feeling of security and safety and to the effective implementation of measures leading to such higher security and safety. For that reason the measure aims to: o improve security in Public Transport (PT) o ameliorate the public opinion of public transport security &safety o improve attractiveness of PT The Measure The measure is based on decisions taken in the Local Safety Plan from These are essentially following three directions: Implementation Status o rapid intervention in case of problems. This is managed through the localisation of intervention fleet via GPS and localisation of bus fleet, together with an increased human presence in the metro and in the buses; o cooperation between the PT, police and court, through better communication and common actions when appropriate; o evaluation and follow-up of the impact of these actions and corresponding feed-back and improvements. The human presence will be strengthened in all means of transport in the PT system. Technical, information, supervision and co-ordination facilities will be installed. The following will be done: o a GPS-type radio contact system will be installed in the transport operator emergency vehicles (emergency call-out buses and car) and at the Police, in order to shorten emergency call-out times (max. 10 minutes); 8 of 10

9 o a localisation service of the buses will be implemented, which will permit the security services to intervene earlier, improve the operating system and the information to the users (inside buses and at stations). This localisation will also be used for the bus priority at junctions. Results The feeling of security on the network: o this feeling is clearly rising on the bus (+7,4pts) and moderately rising on the tram (+3,5pts). It is on the other hand falling slightly in the subway (-2,8pts); o the total feeling of safety remains high (83,4%) in spite of a light fall (-2,6pts); o 94,4% of the customers feel more or as much safe as compared to a few months ago (stable); o the feeling of security on the network raises during the day, the evening and the weekend. Solutions which become part of the customers habits: o 87,2% of the customers see many agents in uniform on the network (-5pts); o whereas the customers consider the prevention increasingly important, they plebiscite less than in May 2004 the increase in the presence of the personnel to improve environment and safety; o the reinforcement of the cameras in the stations and stops is widely wished, which is undoubtedly related to the information conveyed by the media (vandals and authors of aggressions found thanks to the recordings); o the customers always perceive the efforts carried out to improve their safety but are accustomed also more and more to the solutions set up. Thus, 82% of the users perceive the efforts carried out against 89% in May Solutions always perceived like effective: o nearly 9 customers out of 10 judge the efforts carried out overall effective; o the role of the agents is overall well included/understood by the customers; o 1/3 of them quote information, 27% the monitoring and 19% the prevention (which they judge in addition more and more important); 9 of 10

10 o the presence of the agents is essential on the network since 19% of the customers needed to make a contact with them during their last displacement including 80% to have information; o 97% of these customers found an agent and in 93% of the cases, he answered the expectancies of the customer. Bibliography [1] Jonathan Francsics et all. Impact assessment on the introduction of ecall service in all new typeapproved vehicles in Europe, including liability/legal issues, European commission, November of 10