Summary

Center to Bridge the Digital Divide in partnership with State of Washington, local government agencies, the private sector, and the ComCARE Alliance is now working to build an enhanced system of integrated data communications for better multi-agency coordinated emergency response and traffic management. This is part of the ComCARE 8 Point E-Safety Program for America.

Overview

Each year, federal, state and local governments spend billions of dollars and countless hours operating and improving 9-1-1, emergency medical services (EMS), public safety communications, information technology and intelligent transportation systems (ITS). In many cases, these agencies and public professionals lack equipment to communicate quickly and effectively with other appropriate entities in emergencies. Far too often, police, fire, and medical communications systems are vertical stove-pipes, lacking the ability to bridge horizontally across communications frequencies, devices and organizations. This condition severely limits emergency responders, managers and treatment officials from coordinating their work with shared ‘real-time’ incident information – a consideration that is increasingly critical in emergency response and management.

Private sector investments, public sector leadership, and the convergence of wireless communications and information technologies, are driving forces which, if well organized and planned, can dramatically improve public safety services, emergency response and resources. Deploying and linking these technologies will not only save lives, but revolutionize emergency response and resources throughout the state.

The Center to Bridge the Digital Divide E-Safety Project and its partners are working with stakeholders to develop a shared vision, planning steps, and initial prototype development for integrating emergency communications and information systems. This partnership pursues opportunities to secure public and private resources that overcome traditional political, business, and technological barriers to advancing these systems.

While impetus to this effort arrived suddenly with the horrendous events of September 11, the Digital Emergency Services Initiative has been in planning since July, 2001. The ComCARE Alliance has been operating since 1998.

Stakeholders throughout the state are joining forces to understand and facilitate the opportunities provided by new technologies, regulatory requirements, and public interests. They are envisioning what is possible when leaders from the transportation, information technology and telecommunications industries join the emergency response, medical, and government sectors and work together.

Overall, the technical, financial, political and institutional synergies of deploying an integrated EMS, transportation, and emergency communications system will improve the following:

• response to emergency events of all types and scale,
• homeland defense in the new threat environment,
• medical response and trauma care,
• routine management of emergency response resources,
• efficiency and effectiveness of traffic management on local roads and statewide highways,
• reporting and record keeping,
• scale and focus of private investment,
• overall public safety.

A few of the services that an integrated emergency response system could bring include:

• E 9-1-1 service for wireless emergency calls;
• improved interoperability between emergency response, emergency management, law enforcement, and transportation communications systems;
• faster EMS response, including more efficient routing;
• Automatic Crash Notification in vehicles;
• secure mobile medical databases to improve treatment at hospitals and in the field;
• improved GIS and location-based services coordination; and
• location-based emergency call out services warning citizens of impending disasters or other emergencies in specific areas.

Foundation System Elements

The E-Safety Project supports the ComCARE plan to build an integrated emergency response system on two initial foundation elements:

1. An Emergency Provider Access Directory (EPAD) that describes and provides contact with the resources available for emergency response for every geographic location in the State of Washington.

2. A map-based Emergency Incident Locator web site that displays integrated incident and location data for Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) personnel, as well as relevant data from the EPAD.

These two systems are now being designed and built in prototype to meet the requirements of the emergency services community in Washington State and elsewhere to handle real-time data generated by incidents. These systems are the E-Safety Project's suggested starting points for even more advanced capabilities.

The integrated emergency response system could be coordinated with a wider range of location-based services, such as:

• Low cost Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) of emergency, law enforcement, municipal and vehicles transporting hazardous materials;
• Real-time traffic information on primary and secondary roadways;
• A range of consumer services that could be offered by insurance companies, retail outlets, and other private sector partners.

The WSU Center to Bridge the Digital Divide (Center) provides a university based focal point facilitating initiatives to speed the deployment and effective use of modern telecommunications within rural and underserved urban areas. The Center brings together a diverse interdisciplinary faculty team providing an important educational resource to local government, business and citizens in crafting and implementing strategic actions necessary to gain economic and other benefits offered by modern digital technologies. Through its access to WSU Cooperative Extension faculty located in every county of the state of Washington, the Center is uniquely positioned to bring together local partnerships to implement local initiatives speeding the deployment and effective use of telecommunications. For additional detail, visit http://www.cbdd.wsu.edu.

The ComCARE Alliance

The ComCARE Alliance, based in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit coalition of more than 70 organizations and corporations who are working to advance emergency communications and response through wireless communications networks and technologies. ComCARE has significant experience and membership expertise in developing state and local partnerships for deploying integrated systems. To learn more about ComCARE, visit http://www.comcare.org.

The Washington State Enhanced 9-1-1 (E911) Program’s mission is to assist and coordinate the counties operation and continued advancement of E911 systems which provide expedient, reliable public access to emergency services statewide. The program’s vision is to provide the most responsive 9-1-1 access to emergency services in the world. To date the Program has undertaken numerous regionalization studies to identify economies of service and cost savings. For additional detail, visit http://www.wa.gov/wsem/5-e911/911-idx.htm.

Global Telematics is a Seattle-based public policy and operations analysis consulting firm focused on advanced telecommunications applications, with a special focus on Intelligent Transportation Systems. The firm has participated in the design of regional telecommunications strategies for government and civic leaders in states, urban regions, and developing nations overseas. For more information, visit: http://www.globaltelematics.com.

Contacts

Bill Gillis, Executive Director, Center to Bridge the Digital Divide, based in Pullman, phone 509-335-7038 or email bgillis@wsu.edu

John Niles, President, Global Telematics, based in Seattle, phone 206-781-4475 or email niles@globaltelematics.com

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