Managing emergency response services using mobile communication devices

• US 8,576,066 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2011
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Generac Power Systems Incorporated (Generac Holdings Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bivens, John Alan, Branch, Joel W., Farrell, Robert G., Hobson, Stacy F., Sow, Daby M., Idas, Rajarsh
• Primary Examiner(s): Tweel, Jr., John A
• Application Number:
  US13/036,612
• Publication Number:
  US 20120218102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 981 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.13, 340/539.12, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/456.1, 455/521
• US Class Current: 340/539.13
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/003 Address allocation methods and details
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/005 Alarm destination chosen according to a hierarchy of available destinations, e.g. if hospital does not answer send to police station
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/009 Signalling of the alarm condition to a substation whose identity is signalled to a central station, e.g. relaying alarm signals in order to extend communication range

Abstract

One or more embodiments manage emergency response services. An emergency event is determined to have occurred. A set of civilian responders currently available to respond to the emergency event is selected from a plurality of civilian responders in response to determining that the emergency event has occurred. Each civilian responder in the set of civilian responders is associated with at least one wireless communication device. The set of civilian responders is notified that the emergency event has occurred. A set of emergency event information associated with the emergency event is transmitted to at least one wireless communication device associated with each civilian responder in the set of civilian responders.

Claims

1. A method for managing emergency response services, the method comprising:

executing with at least one processor at an information processing system, the following;

determining that an emergency event has occurred;

selecting, in response to determining that the emergency event has occurred, a set of civilian responders currently available to respond to the emergency event from a plurality of civilian responders, each civilian responder in the set of civilian responder being associated with at least one wireless communication device;

notifying the set of civilian responders that the emergency event has occurred; and

transmitting a set of emergency event information associated with the emergency event to at least one wireless communication device associated with each civilian in the set of civilian responders.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the emergency event has occurred comprises at least one of:

receiving a notification from a vehicle;

receiving a notification from an emergency response system; and

receiving a notification from a wireless communication device associated with a civilian responder.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a set of civilian responders further comprises:

identifying a plurality of civilian responders within a given distance from the emergency event.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a set of civilian responders further comprises:

querying a plurality of civilian responders to determine if they are available to respond to the emergency event; and

identifying one or more civilian responders within the plurality of civilian responders that have indicated that they are available.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting a set of civilian responders is based on a set of attributes associated with each civilian responder in the set of civilian responders.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of emergency event information comprises at least one of:

a description of the emergency event;

a location of the emergency event;

a set of medical information associated with one or more individuals involved in the emergency event;

a set of response instructions for responding to the emergency event; and

a set of directions for arriving at the emergency event.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a set of information from at least one of;

a set of environmental sensors;

a vehicle associated with the emergency event; and

a set of individuals currently at the emergency event; and

generating a description of the emergency event based on the set of information that has been received.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the set of emergency event information further comprises:

sending a first set of emergency event information to a first civilian responder in the set of civilian responders; and

sending at least a second set of emergency event information to at least a second civilian responder in the set of civilian responders, wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are different from each other.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, in response to the transmitting, a set of information associated with the emergency event from at least one of the civilian responders in the set of civilian responders; and

sending an updated set of emergency event information to the least one wireless communication device associated with each civilian in the set of civilian responders, the updated set of emergency event information being based on the set of information that has been received.

10. A system for managing emergency response services, the system comprising:

a memory;

a processor communicatively coupled to the memory; and

an emergency response manager communicatively coupled to the memory and the processor, the emergency response manager being configured for performing a method comprising;

determining that an emergency event has occurred;

selecting, in response to determining that the emergency event has occurred, a set of civilian responders currently available to respond to the emergency event from a plurality of civilian responders, each civilian responder in the set of civilian responders being associated with at least one wireless communication device;

notifying the set of civilian responders that the emergency event has occurred; and

transmitting a set of emergency event information associated with the emergency event to at least one wireless communication device associated with each civilian responder in the set of civilian responders.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein determining that the emergency event has occurred comprises at least one of:

receiving a notification from a vehicle;

receiving a notification from an emergency response system; and

receiving a notification from a wireless communication device associated with a civilian responder.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein selecting a set of civilian responders further comprises:

identifying a plurality of civilian responders within a given distance from the emergency event.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein selecting a set of civilian responders further comprises:

querying a plurality of civilian responders to determine if they are available to respond to the emergency event; and

identifying one or more civilian responders within the plurality of civilian responders that have indicated that they are available.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein transmitting the set of emergency event information further comprises:

sending a first set of emergency event information to a first civilian responder in the set of civilian responders; and

sending at least a second set of emergency event information to at least a second civilian responder in the set of civilian responders, wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are different from each other.

15. A computer program product for managing emergency response services, the computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a processing circuit and storing instructions for execution by the processing circuit for performing a method comprising;

determining that an emergency event has occurred;

selecting, in response to determining that the emergency event has occurred, a set of civilian responders currently available to respond to the emergency event from a plurality of civilian responders, each civilian responder in the set of civilian responders being associated with at least one wireless communication device;

notifying the set of civilian responders that the emergency event has occurred; and

transmitting a set of emergency event information associated with the emergency event to at least one wireless communication device associated with each civilian in the set of civilian responders.

16. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein selecting a set of civilian responders further comprises:

identifying a plurality of civilian responders within a given distance from the emergency event.

17. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein selecting a set of civilian responders is based on a set of attributes associated with each civilian responder in the set of civilian responders.

18. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein the set of emergency event information comprises at least one of:

a description of the emergency event;

a location of the emergency event;

a set of medical information associated with one or more individuals involved in the emergency event;

a set of response instructions for responding to the emergency event; and

a set of directions for arriving at the emergency event.

19. The computer program product of claim 15, wherein transmitting the set of emergency event information further comprises:

sending a first set of emergency event information to a first civilian responder in the set of civilian responders; and

sending at least a second set of emergency event information to at least a second civilian responder in the set of civilian responders, wherein the first set of information and the second set of information are different from each other.

20. The computer program product of claim 15, the method further comprising:

receiving, in response to the transmitting, a set of information associated with the emergency event from at least one of the civilian responders in the set of civilian responders; and

sending an updated set of emergency event information to the at least one wireless communication device associated with each civilian responder in the set of civilian responders, the updated set of emergency event information being based on the set of information that has been received.