Emergency management system

• US 8,289,152 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2007
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UPMC
• Original Assignee: UPMC
• Inventors: Greenberger, Joel S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US11/780,042
• Publication Number:
  US 20120256762A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,916 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.11, 340/539.1, 340/539.22, 340/539.28, 340/538.15, 340/539.26, 340/571, 340/600, 340/601, 340/5.52, 340/5.82
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/20 using a distributed architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

An emergency management system includes a plurality of command centers, each having real time updated information about an area of interest, a plurality of uniquely identifiable portable monitors, each of the monitors including a sensor portion for determining one or more exposure parameters, and each of the monitors including a communications portion for providing two-way communications over redundant communications channels with at least two of the command centers. A method of managing emergency responders is also provided.

Claims

1. An emergency management system comprising:

a plurality of uniquely identifiable portable monitors;

each of the monitors including a sensor portion for determining one or more exposure parameters;

a plurality of geographically separated command centers, each configured to receive real time updated information about an area of interest from the monitors; and

each of the monitors including a communications portion for providing two-way communications over at least two different types of redundant communications channels with at least two of the command centers, wherein one of the command centers is a command center of record.

2. The emergency management system of claim 1, wherein the sensor portion comprises one or more of:

a radiation sensor, a chemical sensor, and a biological sensor.

3. The emergency management system of claim 1, wherein the communications portion transmits a code that identifies one of the monitors.

4. The emergency management system of claim 1, wherein the monitors further include a position detector.

5. The emergency management system of claim 1, wherein the command centers include a display of real time information received from the monitors.

6. The emergency management system of claim 5, wherein the display shows three-dimensional information.

7. The emergency management system of claim 1, wherein the command centers include one or more databases.

8. The emergency management system of claim 1, wherein each of the command centers includes a real time command entry code.

9. A method of managing emergency responders, the method comprising:

receiving information from a plurality of uniquely identifiable portable monitors;

sending the information to each of a plurality of geographically separated command centers over at least two different types of redundant communications channels, wherein one of the command centers is a command center of record;

integrating the information with supplemental data, at the command center of record; and

transmitting instructions to the emergency responders based on an assessment of the information and the supplemental data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the supplemental data further comprises real time updated data that includes one or more of:

weather patterns, geographic changes, physical asset status, geo-satellite monitoring information, comprising hospital availability to manage surge capacity for casualties, and road conditions.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein each of the monitors transmits a unique code.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of integrating the information with real time updated supplemental data is performed in a command center.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

displaying the information and supplemental data in a three-dimensional display.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the information includes geographic information.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the information includes exposure time.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the instructions include a suggested evacuation route.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of:

modeling a plume of radiation.

18. A monitoring device comprising:

a sensor portion for determining one or more exposure parameters;

a communications portion for transmitting the exposure parameters to a plurality of geographically separated command centers over at least two different types of redundant communications channels over a communications channel; and

an identification generator for producing an identification tag associating the monitoring device with a user.

19. The monitoring device of claim 18, wherein the identification tag includes information received on the communications channel.

20. The monitoring device of claim 18, wherein the identification tag comprises a bar code label.