Project Description

# 2686

FISAR FIRE SEARCH AND RESCUE ACCOUNTABILITY AND COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

Fire is an everyday threat, and it is dangerous. Firefighters risk their own lives to save others. According to U.S. Fire Administration's fact sheet, in the U.S., between 1992 and 2001, an average of 4,266 Americans lost their lives, and another 24,913 were injured annually as the result of fire. Each year, fire kills more Americans than all natural disasters in total. In addition to that, about 100 firefighters lost their lives in the line of duty.

Firefighters carry many devices in confined and high-stress environments. Search and rescue professionals rely on computers, computer networks, handheld systems, and 2-way communication devices, almost similar to those used by the public, to communicate with each other. However, most of these computers and computer networks are designed for office work, and the nature of search and rescue operations is very different from office environments, in terms of physical risk, psychological state, and operating conditions. Our daily devices enable us to send wireless messages, and make information easily accessible for everyone from everywhere at any time. However, to the search and rescue professionals, this information flow is imperative in making life and death decisions, something that our devices rarely come in contact with.

Imagine a wireless and wearable system that would enable these devices to locate and track firefighters in real-time, and to communicate mission critical information pervasively.

The essential effort, here in this project, lies in investigating ways to make the communication between firefighters simple and unobtrusive during fire search and rescue operations. The idea is to propose a better communication and accountability system to the firefighters, so that they can concentrate on the rescue operations, but not on trying to make some devices work.

This project concentrates on making fire search and rescue operations safer, and on enhancing them by investigating the ways of helping firefighters to keep track of each other. It looks at ways in which the fire search and rescue equipment can be incorporated with additional capabilities, features and technologies to communicate many aspects of mission critical information, such as communication over radio, location of firefighters, biometric data, temperature readings, air tank level, oxygen and carbon monoxide levels, any many more.

As a conclusion, this project proposes a product family of wireless and wearable communication systems for firefighters to ameliorate many facets of the existing fire search and rescue problems.

ADVANTAGES AND INNOVATIVE ASPECTS
Firefighters have to make quick critical decisions in harsh and dynamically changing surroundings and conditions with very little information. Therefore, by providing information at anytime and anywhere, the system aims to increase the effectiveness of the firefighters, and strengthen the confidence and the spirit to assure a better teamwork.

One of the advantages of the system is that it does not require a complex setup or training. It saves time by eliminating paperwork, and accelerates incident report tracking. The accountability function of the system is based on saving lives. The system facilitates the real-time location tracking of the firefighters. The Headset is designed to provide hands-free operation. The use of bone conduction technology adds great versatility to the system in high noise environments, where firefighters usually have to work. The PASS (Personal Alert Safety System) device does not only work as a PASS device, but also constantly transmits radio signals to the Communicator, allowing the Battalion Chief who is outside the building, to track and locate the firefighters in real-time.

Another advantage is that the applied wireless technologies between the components provide firefighters an unobtrusive, yet effective way to deal with the fire search and rescue tasks. The system does not distract firefighters. In contrast, by operating in the background, enables them to be more productive. Besides, it helps them to make mission critical decisions in high stress environments.

The system is low-power and expandable (add-on devices), yet provides more versatility, flexibility and accuracy than existing systems. Low-power UWB (Ultra Wideband) technology, with its ability of ground and wall penetrating, delivers a solid communication to the firefighters without any risk of interference due to its wide spectrum.

In addition to that, Bluetooth technology brings an open-ended architecture. Many other Bluetooth enabled sensors or products can be added on, and be worn by the firefighters to read the firefighters' air tank level, to gather real-time temperature readings, and to collect smoke samples, such as oxygen and carbon monoxide levels to further help forensics and to improve the arson investigations. Also the collected process snapshots can later be used for training purposes and for improving the system.

Apart from all the above advantages, I believe the system can also be applied into other extreme fields, which require personal safety, robust communication, and critical information exchange.
- Police and Law Enforcements Operations
- Confined Space Operations
- Lone Worker Situations (Underground workers, miners, sewer control personnel)
- Hazardous Industrial Environments
- Power Plant Operations
- Mountain Climbing
- Urban Search and Rescue
- Avalanche and Earthquake Recovery
- Outdoor Activities