Networked emergency management system

• US 20060224629A1
• Filed: 02/07/2006
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Liveprocess Corporation
• Original Assignee: Liveprocess Corporation
• Inventors: Weiss, Nathaniel J., Alexander, John S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,596,608 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms

Abstract

A computer-implemented process allows emergency plans to be easily and rapidly created for a plurality of different facilities. An emergency plan is provided in electronic form for each facility. Each emergency plan has a standardized format with a plurality of component parts. Each emergency plan has at least some component parts that are accessible by other facilities. An electronic network is provided which allows at least some of the facilities to electronically obtain the accessible component parts of the emergency plans of at least some of the other facilities. A user interface allows the emergency plan of a facility to electronically import into its emergency plan selected content of one or more component parts of the emergency plan of another facility using the electronic network. The electronic importing is facilitated via the use of the standardized format for the emergency plans.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of providing emergency plans for a plurality of different facilities, the method comprising:

(a) providing in electronic form an emergency plan for each facility, each emergency plan having a standardized format with a plurality of component parts, each emergency plan having at least some component parts that are accessible by other facilities; and

(b) providing an electronic network which allows at least some of the facilities to electronically obtain the accessible component parts of the emergency plans of at least some of the other facilities.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(c) via a user interface, allowing the emergency plan of a facility to electronically import into its emergency plan selected content of one or more component parts of the emergency plan of another facility using the electronic network, wherein the electronic importing is facilitated via the use of the standardized format for the emergency plans.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein one of the component parts of the emergency plan includes emergency policies, and step (c) further comprises:

(i) entering one or more search terms into the user interface,

(ii) via the electronic network, searching emergency plans of other facilities that contain the entered one or more search terms,

(iii) displaying the search hits, and

(iv) electronically importing the emergency policy of a desired search hit into the emergency plan of the facility.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the search term is related to an emergency condition, and the imported emergency policy relates to the emergency condition.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic network is the internet or an intranet and the user interface is accessed via an internet web browser.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of component parts includes at one of a Hazard Vulnerability Analysis, emergency policies, procedures that must be followed, available emergency resources, and an Incident Command System command structure.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the plurality of component parts include emergency drills.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(c) one or more third-party entities electronically publishing information for incorporation into emergency plans of selected facilities; and

(d) at least some of the facilities being programmed to receive the published information and to electronically import and incorporate the published information into their respective emergency plans.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein textual material of an emergency plan constitutes the plan'"'"'s policies, and one of the component parts of the emergency plan are the emergency plan procedures, the method further comprising:

(c) providing a user interface that allows sections of policies to be labeled as procedures, the user interface also allowing all previously identified procedures to be shown on a single listing for rapid review.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a facility is a single facility entity.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein a facility is a network of related facility entities.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(c) providing via the electronic network a geographic information system (GIS) data set; and

(d) projecting facility data onto the GIS data set, the facility data including the plurality of component parts of each emergency plan, wherein in step (b), the accessible component parts of the emergency plans are electronically obtained by using the GIS data set that has the facility data projected thereon.

13. An article of manufacture for providing emergency plans for a plurality of different facilities, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium holding computer-executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

(a) providing in electronic form an emergency plan for each facility, each emergency plan having a standardized format with a plurality of component parts, each emergency plan having at least some component parts that are accessible by other facilities; and

(b) providing an electronic network which allows at least some of the facilities to electronically obtain the accessible component parts of the emergency plans of at least some of the other facilities.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein the computer-executable instructions perform a method further comprising:

(c) via a user interface, allowing the emergency plan of a facility to electronically import into its emergency plan selected content of one or more component parts of the emergency plan of another facility using the electronic network, wherein the electronic importing is facilitated via the use of the standardized format for the emergency plans.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14 wherein one of the component parts of the emergency plan includes emergency policies, and step (c) further comprises:

(i) entering one or more search terms into the user interface,

(ii) via the electronic network, searching emergency plans of other facilities that contain the entered one or more search terms,

(iii) displaying the search hits, and

(iv) electronically importing the emergency policy of a desired search hit into the emergency plan of the facility.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein the search term is related to an emergency condition, and the imported emergency policy relates to the emergency condition.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein the electronic network is the internet or an intranet and the user interface is accessed via an internet web browser.

18. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein the plurality of component parts includes at one of a Hazard Vulnerability Analysis, emergency policies, procedures that must be followed, available emergency resources, and an Incident Command System command structure.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein the plurality of component parts include emergency drills.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein the computer-executable instructions perform a method further comprising:

(c) one or more third-party entities electronically publishing information for incorporation into emergency plans of selected facilities; and

(d) at least some of the facilities being programmed to receive the published information and to electronically import and incorporate the published information into their respective emergency plans.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein textual material of an emergency plan constitutes the plan'"'"'s policies, and one of the component parts of the emergency plan are the emergency plan procedures, and wherein the computer-executable instructions perform a method further comprising:

(c) providing a user interface that allows sections of policies to be labeled as procedures, the user interface also allowing all previously identified procedures to be shown on a single listing for rapid review.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein a facility is a single facility entity.

23. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein a facility is a network of related facility entities.

24. The article of manufacture of claim 13 wherein the computer-executable instructions perform a method further comprising:

(c) providing via the electronic network a geographic information system (GIS) data set; and

(d) projecting facility data onto the GIS data set, the facility data including the plurality of component parts of each emergency plan, wherein in step (b), the accessible component parts of the emergency plans are electronically obtained by using the GIS data set that has the facility data projected thereon.