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When there are mass casualties in a terrorist attack or natural disaster, the ability of first responders to save lives depends on cross-agency situational awareness and coordination of their emergency response and management activities.

Instant access to reliable communications at the individual responder level is required, but unfortunately communication is often impaired by incompatible inter-agency voice radios and lack of a personal access to broadband IP data networks.

Enter the ‘great communicator’ – wireless IP data networks that provide low cost, person to person communication and access to the worldwide Internet. This capability enables instant voice, data and video communication through advanced technologies such as VoIP, digital video and solutions for bridging cross-agency command and control systems through XML/ SOA technologies.

These advanced technologies provide rescue specialists access to resources and knowledge that support of complex and dangerous operations and can save live when applied during an emergency response.

Clearly, since Wi-Fi is both low-cost and ubiquitous, it is the wireless technology of choice for enabling virtually all team members to participate as a contributing member in a common situational awareness.

Entrée Wireless develops products for Mobile Communication Systems. These products are designed to establish communication networks and improve voice, data and video communications at temporary and emergency sites. They can be deployed in a matter of minutes and are rugged, self-contained, wireless and battery-powered. Products include the Warrior Battery Pack for the KR1 EVDO-Wi-Fi Router and several battery-powered video cameras in the Mobile Video System (MVS) family.

The heart of the communication system is the Warrior Battery Pack for the KR1 router (WBP-KR1). This device offers extended range antennas, a rugged water resistant case, a 20 hour battery and a built-in high speed multi mode charger.

The Mobile Video System (MVS) [below] family of battery-powered products includes a Wearable Video Camera, a Portable Video Camera and the Video Control Consol for recording and display of video. See below for details.

An Entrée Wireless Mobile Communication System was deployed at the recent “MOBEX joint disaster exercise” held at a simulated building collapse at the shuttered El Cajon Valley Hospital, El Cajon, California. MOBEX was organized by the San Diego Urban Search & Rescue (US&R) CA-Task Force-8 and the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT CA-4), with participation by the Riverside County US&R CA-Task Force-6. More than 200 individuals were involved in a series of day long ‘rescues’.

Here is the Mobile Video System in action at the entrance to a building where a simulated car bomb has exploded and a heavy lift rescue deep inside the collapse is required. Clearly this is a dangerous environment where rugged and reliable equipment communication equipment is required. The Warrior Battery Pack is on top of the car and creates a Wi-Fi Bubble over the area and provides Internet access over EVDO wireless. The Portable Video Camera is being carried into the building and the Wearable Video Camera is on a rescue worker crawling inside the building. The video signals from these two cameras are connected via the Wi-Fi Bubble to the Video Control Console for recording and viewing.

The exercise included a full field medical triage center and some highly realistic casualties.