Wifi Revolution

Emergency responders from Knoxville/Knox County, Tennessee, successfully tested the usefulness of the Warrior HotSpots from Entrée Wireless during the Chrysler Jeep "Boomsday" Festival held this past Labor Day.

Entrée Wireless is a leading provider of wireless mobility solutions designed to enhance communications for public safety, first responders and mobile personnel.

The trial proved the effectiveness of Emergency Patient Tracking System (EPTS) with Wi-Fi enabled scanners, said Entrée Wireless in a press release. EPTS is a portable, self-contained, battery powered wireless communication infrastructure for Emergency Responders. It supports patient triage on Wi-Fi handhelds at Mass Casualty Incidents (MCIs).

The annual Chrysler Jeep "Boomsday" Festival brings over 350,000 people to the Tennessee River waterfront for friends, food, and the biggest Labor Day Fireworks show in the country.

Viewing the festival as an opportunity, this year, first responders tested the EPTS equipment. They set up three medical aid stations and three mobile units to respond to individual medical needs.

Emergency responders have used the newest pieces of EPTS equipment -- Warrior HotSpots -- that create a Wi-Fi communication "bubble." Using this equipment, first responders have accessed the Internet with standard laptop and PDA devices.

The Warrior HotSpot is a ruggedized, self-contained, all in one Wi-Fi hotspot that can be quickly deployed and operates for up to 12 hours on battery power. Once turned on, the wireless router within the Warrior Hotspot automatically connects to the Internet via a cellular connection and creates a Wi-Fi bubble with a range of 300-500 feet.

The first responders in each medical aid station were able to scan patients into the Emergency Patient Tracking System with Wi-Fi enabled scanners loaded with EPTS Software. They were able to gather unique data of each patient that is vital to assist them and transmit it wirelessly to a secure website. When the medical data was transmitted, emergency response coordinators in EMS, public health, local emergency management, and hospitals were able to take appropriate action.

"We're very fortunate in Knox County to have had the support from emergency response agencies and hospitals in the City and County to develop this patient tracking system. The EPTS system is designed to be fast, convenient, and easy to use -- while providing essential information for an effective emergency response," said Larry Hutsell, Knox County Emergency Response Coordinator, in the press release.

--------

P R Sai is a contributing editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Back to WiFi Revolution home