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GPS Technology Closes Emergency Gaps

January 21st, 2013

Rising premiums, annual evaluations, and insurance ultimatums: good things or bad? The answer to that question could depend on motivating factors and results. Although additional scrutiny from insurance companies usually brings an element of dread, serious gaps in safety and emergency procedures are often revealed. GPS technology seems to be motivating insurance companies to reveal such gaps for homeowners. While increased premiums are never pleasant, the threat of them may motivate some significant steps toward closing the gaps that can often turn emergencies into devastating tragedies.

Identify Risks

Evaluations using GPS technology can easily identify residential areas that are located at high-risk distances from appropriate emergency facilities. Since emergencies are always unexpected, the identification of exact routes and distances could provide crucial information at a moment of crisis. Awareness of multiple routes to a hospital might save a life. And an understanding of the distance from the nearest fire or police station could prove invaluable in the face of a disaster. With GPS tracking systems, the latest information can be appropriately applied for homeowners in every type of living circumstance, weather condition, or traffic complication. Although pressure from insurance companies coming in the form of increased rates for homeowners living specific distances from emergency facilities is not ideal, the new awareness of risks may inspire many to begin their own crucial evaluations.

Apply Solutions

As GPS technology reveals the gaps, identifying the risks that have been slipping through the cracks, communities can brainstorm for solutions to begin applying. One county in Georgia has been responding to new GPS technology provided information about residential areas in relation to fire stations in several different ways. Solutions range from the expensive adding of new fire stations to the more budget-friendly collaborating with other counties for specific areas. Additional emergency vehicles, new roads, and updated equipment are other solutions that have been considered for this specific county. Since each community includes specific demographics and individual challenges, solutions to identified emergency gaps can cover a wide range of possibilities. While individual homeowners may not be able to implement drastic changes, an increasing awareness of risks through GPS technology could enable citizens within a community to work together. The knowledge of impending scrutiny by insurance companies may even motivate a unified effort to avoid the financial ramifications that could be inevitable otherwise.

2-Way Pendant Takes Senior Safety to the Next Level

September 13th, 2012

Families all over the U.S. breathe more easily since the invention of easy-to-use emergency alert tools. From smartphones to GPS devices, and home alarm systems, technology is improving the speed with which emergencies can be addressed. These safety items feature long lasting batteries and the ability to broadcast an alert signal to a service center, which then relays the emergency to local responders. They usually come in the form of a pendant, which a senior living alone can place around his or her neck so that it is always within reach.

A new product is taking this safety tool to the next level, giving seniors even greater ability to quickly get help and communicate their emergency clearly. A pendant that simply alerts a service center of an emergency is useful, but the new two-way voice pendant from LifeSentry allows the user to speak to and hear the agent who receives the emergency call. With this system, the user is able to clearly state what the problem is so that the agent can more effectively dispatch help. A single button makes the pendant very easy to operate, so even a senior who is in pain or has limited mobility can make contact and talk as long as necessary to explain the situation.

That’s not the only advantage this Life Sentry pendant offers customers. Its wireless service area is much larger than those of competing products, so seniors can feel free to work in the garden or check the mail without losing signal. In addition, if the pendant loses the ability to contact the service center because of low battery life or a power outage, an automatic alert allows the center to dispatch help.

The most accident-prone area of the house, the bathroom, is often the area least conducive to using an electronic pendant. The pendant from LifeSentry, however, is water-resistant, meaning the user does not have to set it aside during bathing or showering. If the user does decide to remove it, however, the system includes optional wall-mounted devices that can provide the same communication services as the pendant. These devices are also water-resistant and can easily mount to the shower wall or within reach of the toilet.

More coverage area and a tougher exterior are just two of the advantages this pendant carries over its competitors. The real attraction of this system is its clear, two-way voice capability. When the victim can describe his or her need in detail, emergency responders can better prepare while en route and provide more effective help.

Calling All First Responders

August 30th, 2012

One of the biggest challenges facing first responders and other emergency personnel is to determine the location of each other during times of crisis. Advancements have been made in modern GPS tracking technology to assist in this problem. One of the most recent developments couples GPS tracking technology with Blackberry’s PIN to PIN system to allow team members to locate each other by using their Blackberry. This new app, MPACIRT, will help communication among team members, and it will improve the effectiveness of their efforts to save lives.

Ease of Use

With this app, first responders will be able to pinpoint each other through the use of their Blackberry phone. There is no need to buy new expensive equipment or make sure each team has the exact same phone. The only thing needed to run this is a Blackberry. Leaders of CIRT (Critical Incident Response Team), if they use the Blackberry Playbook, will have a large picture of where responders are and how to best utilize the resources available. Some phones with similar capabilities require the use of a special server to get a similar benefit, but there is no need to purchase the use of another server for this app.

How it Works

MPACIRT can be described as a combination of two existing apps, MPAOfficerProtection and MPATracker, which use the PIN to PIN technology and GPS tracking to perform similar functions. Users can update their position using their Blackberries and in the process eliminate some of the unnecessary e-mails and other distractions that can hinder the ability to respond rapidly in an emergency. The app was designed with SWAT teams and highway patrol units in mind, but the broader application of the app will allow it to be a benefit to any first responder in a time of need.

Cost Benefits

There is no special hardware to purchase with this. The app itself is purchased per user, so there is no ongoing monthly cost involved. This app also saves time by reducing the effort placed in locating each other in an emergency. This GPS app can also help response teams save gas money as responders can be chosen based on their physical location and proximity to the emergency.

With the MPACIRT app, first responders will have the ability and technology needed to locate each other, and in doing so, better help those in need.

Fighting Fire with GPS Tech

July 21st, 2012

This is no house fire: nearly 22,000 acres of land were on fire near Newberry, Michigan this past month, charring homes and spewing smoke across the countryside. When a fire grows this large, aircraft are some of the best tools available to facilitate control. Now, GPS devices and satellites are helping to perform tasks once completed through specialized satellites. Monitoring forest fires requires extreme accuracy in order to maintain safety on an incredibly large scale. Thankfully, GPS technology is starting to make that task a little bit easier.

A Damaging Wildfire
A bolt of lightning sparked the flame that became this 20+ square mile blaze. The damage is still growing: nearly 30 homes have been destroyed, with over 200 damaged. In some cases, mandatory evacuations are in effect. In short, this massive wildfire is massively dangerous. How can mankind stand up to a fire of this scale?

Logistical Control Means Fire Control
In this wildfire’s case, the answer is over two hundred firefighters, including two air tankers and five helicopters, some from Michigan’s National Guard. The crew is working around the clock, attempting to contain the fire through pinpoint containment operations. Left ignored, the fire could cause massive damage to Michigan’s natural ecosystem, let alone the human cost.

GPS to the Rescue
For a relatively small crew to fight a large wildfire, the key is to use the team effectively. Water and firefighting minerals/chemicals must be dropped in exactly the right areas. GPS satellite technology has proven absolutely essential in allowing this 200+ member team to identify where its limited resources are best used. GPS and infrared have aided firefighting teams in understanding the blaze, how wind affects its path, and where the path of destruction is headed next.
“Swiss Army Satellites”
One of the most fascinating innovations here is the use of GPS, and the emergence of “Swiss Army Tech.” The advent of smart phones has signaled a new level of technological ubiquity. A large portion of Americans (not to mention world citizens) now carry GPS devices of varying effectiveness in their pockets. These devices perform similar tasks, and access the same satellites, in some cases, as the GPS devices used by the firefighting teams above. It is fascinating to see technology becoming homogenized: the same satellites used for “the little things,” i.e. navigating to Little Caesar’s, are used for “the big things,” like fighting the Michigan wildfire described above.

GPS in Partnership with 911

February 6th, 2012

“This is 911. Please state your emergency.” Familiar words to every American, but if you have ever actually had to make a call to 911, you know the urgency of wanting responders to get to you as soon as possible. GPS technology, based on actual satellite longitude and latitude coordinates, has made getting emergency vehicles to a scene easier and more efficient. However, that GPS data must be linked to 911 address records.

In Wilkes County, North Carolina, commissioners agreed in 2009 to implement a GPS-based 911 addressing system, such as was made the universal standard in 1995, throughout its cities; however, officials hit a snag when they discovered that 300 roads in the county had no name connected to 911 records. GPS coordinates were established for existing addresses in 2010, but what to do with those 300 roads poses a problem for the county. The system that commissioners and emergency personnel hoped would be up and running in 2012 may not be used at all.

Although the commission had already signed a $145,000 contract with Kimball to establish the GPS coordinates for the county, officials believe the benefits of connecting them to the 911 address system would be far too costly. They argue that because the state requires each road to be named through individual public hearings and because there is a $30,000-$40,000 cost for providing new road signs, the GPS-based 911 addressing system is not justified.

Advocates of the system argue that the ability to get to a precise location in less time more than pays for the system. Also, the system would be funded by a 911 surcharge of $0.80 placed on each wireless and land line user; telecommunications providers collect the fees and send them on to the county for distribution. Since over one-third of all 911 calls are from wireless callers and since the FCC already mandates that wireless carriers provide coordinates of latitude and longitude for wireless calls coming into the 911 call centers, it seems logical to link GPS technology to 911 address records. Lack of this technology not only hinders emergency officials, but it also keeps emergency services from utilizing certain software applications that are designed to be used in conjunction with the GPS-based system.

With more than 240 million 911 calls a year, using modern GPS technology to aid emergency personnel only makes sense. EMS, police, and fire departments all need a trustworthy system in place to do their job effectively. If they are hindered by wrong directions or lack of an address, lives could be lost. Who can put a price on a life saved?

Emergency Staff in Rhode Island Uses GPS to Save Woman

December 26th, 2010

GPS technology in Rhode Island moved beyond sheer novelty and saved a life this past week when emergency staff used GPS technology to save a lost woman. The woman, from Tiverton, Rhode Island, was lost in the middle of swampland. According to Little Compton Police Chief Sidney Wordell, the woman, 42, was “on the verge of not being able to survive.”

She called 911 (although she does not remember this), and the GPS chip embedded in her cell phone told emergency services exactly where she was. One of the 911 communicators working that night passed on her coordinates to first responders. A satellite image of her GPS coordinates indicated that she was near a dam.

It is likely that, had the GPS tracking technology not been available or working, this woman would not have survived. Fire chief Richard Petrin said, “Without the technology, it’s a needle in a haystack.”

The Rescue
When the first responders were looking for the woman, they continually called 911 so that their GPS coordinates would be sent to the emergency communicators. Each time the screen was refreshed by the first responders, the dots of the woman’s coordinates and the first responders’ GPS tracking coordinates moved closer and closer together, indicating that the woman and the first responder were moving closer and closer together.

The woman was eventually found near the edge of a swampy pond, where she was drifting into and out of consciousness. She was wet when the rescue team found her, and her body temperature was only 84º Fahrenheit (29º Celsius).

This rescue situation was a clear win for GPS tracking in Rhode Island. The woman is alive and is currently recovering at Rhode Island Hospital.

Article Written by Greg Minton

GPS Tracker Saves Lives in Hospitals

June 2nd, 2010

By Greg Bartlett

Many hospitals in America have become sprawling complexes full of medical professionals, patients, and transportable equipment. With this sprawl, it can be difficult to keep track of the locations of all patients, movable equipment, and personnel. Even with careful records, patients could be moved to the wrong room, or worse, leaving medical personnel wondering where they went, and spending tremendous amounts of time looking for the people they are supposed to care for. No patient ever has to be lost in the hospital again, thanks to GPS tracker technology.

Hospitals & GPS Tracking

Summerville Medical Center in Summerville, South Carolina recently began a pilot program in their ER Unit that could change the way that hospitals care for their patients. They give each incoming ER patient a wrist-mounted GPS tracker that the patient will wear for their entire stay at the hospital. The tracker sends out a constant signal, which hospital personnel can then track in real-time. Even if there is a clerical error, hospital personnel can instantly locate the exact position, including which floor that they are on, of any patient that is admitted into the hospital complex. With this GPS tracker system, doctors and nurses can save precious time finding a patient, if a patient has an in-hospital emergency, for example. Or, if a patient isn’t where they are supposed to be, nurses can instantly pinpoint them, send nurses to their location, and guide the patient back to where they belong.

This GPS tracking system is also used to track the locations of portable hospital equipment in real-time. A GPS tracker is also attached to every piece of equipment in the ER, including “crash carts.” With this tracking, ER personnel never have to waste precious time hunting for necessary life-saving equipment, they can press a couple of buttons, and the GPS tracking computer can instantaneously locate the real-time location of the equipment needed. When an ER patient’s life is on the line, seconds are as valuable as gold to the ER personnel. Reports already indicate that this technology saves each ER nurse an average of 15 minutes per shift. As such, this technology can save doctors and nurses those precious seconds, when a patient’s life is on the line, and ultimately, can save precious lives.

GPS tracker technology can be effectively used in hospitals to keep track of every patient and every piece of life-saving equipment. The Summerville Medical Center is living proof that a small investment in technology can be an enormous investment in saving lives.

GPS Systems Aid Rescue/Recovery Efforts in Haiti

January 16th, 2010

By DONNA SANTI / guest columnist

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- Donna Santi is a creative writer for LandAirSea Systems, a Woodstock, IL-based manufacturer and distributor of expertly-engineered GPS tracking systems, software and accessories. For information about LandAirSea, visit www.landairsea.com. To contact the writer, email donna.santi@landairsea.com

As the tolls of dead and injured from the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti keep rising, aid workers are organizing in the impoverished Caribbean nation for the grim task of recovering bodies from the rubble.

GPS & Haiti Earthquake

A representative from the American Red Cross who arrived at Port-au-Prince, the capital of Haiti near the epicenter, said the disaster was worse than he had imagined. Those who perished could number in the hundreds of thousands. There is inadequate hospital space for all the injured. Thousands of homes are flattened, many of them dangerous, rickety shacks.

Officials are appealing for medical care, trained rescue teams and everyday items used for comfort and well-being like diapers, water, clothing, shoes and blankets.

The world’s first glimpses into the 7.0 magnitude devastation were in videos Haitians posted on Twitter and YouTube. Celebrities urged their Twitter fans to text donations from their mobile devices and $1 million was pledged to one nonprofit in just one day. It proves that technology is firmly entrenched in our lives. The worldwide grasp even extends to a small, underdeveloped country like Haiti.

So it is almost certain that GPS tracking systems will be among the tools in the cleanup. How will GPS tracking devices be used to put the toppled Caribbean nation back on its feet?

It is unlikely any GPS tracking devices are transmitting their location coordinates from under feet of concrete, metal and wood, serving as beacons to people in need of aid. Haiti is an impoverished nation. Natives of Haiti average about $2 a day in wages. The average citizen would not own a cell phone, let alone an independent GPS tracking device.

But GPS tracking is also a great tool for law enforcement and search and rescue teams during natural disasters because it can pinpoint locations of receivers within a couple of feet of accuracy. Those watching the recovery efforts probably will see or hear about GPS technology being used for its locating and mapping qualities. GPS tracking has become an important part of all kinds of emergency response missions, from directing emergency vehicles to finding bodies.

In the days immediately following a natural disaster of this magnitude, confusion usually ensues. Massive groups of volunteers might lack leadership. The same buildings might be searched over and over while others remain untouched. Bodies could be counted twice or more. Then there is the language barrier (most Haitians speak Creole).

How GPS Might Help in Haiti:

Vehicle tracking devices could be installed in all emergency response and volunteer mobile units for an emergency fleet management program. Rescue coordinators could easily identify and monitor all their vehicles at the same time on a digital map. The application could be accessed by others in the field via laptop computers.
GPS tracking and locating services can be used to map out the area of destruction and then divide it into a geographic grid so rescue efforts are maximized rather than duplicated.
Rescuers can be issued GPS-enabled handhelds. The volunteers could note and geotag search areas that must later be revisited. Rubble is rubble, unless each pile is distinguished by its own, unique GPS location coordinates. Helpers in the field could note the location of landmarks, human fatalities, physical hazards, etc. and they will be known to all by their latitude and longitude indexes. In 2001 during 9/11, GPS tracking was just coming into common use, yet it was invaluable for the Herculean task of identifying body parts and personal belongings in New York.
Special equipment and software could be created to integrate GPS with other technologies such infrared, night vision or heat-detecting cameras (or remote-controlled robots!) to infiltrate or get into the rubble where an average size human could not without considerable digging and effort.
Disaster relief sites such as first aid, water, emergency shelter and public address stations could be identified by GPS tracking and locating services and people could be accurately and quickly guided to those areas, regardless of their point of origin.
Rescuers trapped under a fresh structural collapse are more likely to be found if they are carrying GPS-equipped mobile devices.

Embrace Technology

As impersonal as technology might seem to some people, it could also be said that it has a unifying quality. It works on an international scale and makes the physical distances between us seem to disappear. Only in this modern age, with the Internet, text messaging, Twitter, YouTube, wireless cellular communications and Global Positioning System satellites, could disaster strike in a remote area of the world, and then help arrive within hours of that tragedy.

The Most Important Uses for GPS Tracking

November 20th, 2009

by James Neely, freelance writer: click | HERE | to check out GPS products from Rocky Mountain Tracking

They are invading our lives – GPS Tracking devices. In fact, you never know when you might be near one. GPS Tracking is being implemented faster than you can imagine in a variety of applications.

GPS Tracking Products

Here are the most popular uses for GPS Tracking devices.

Vehicle Tracking

Let us enumerate the ways these units are being used in vehicles: Automobile tracking, delivery tracking, heavy equipment tracking, boat tracking, semi-trailer tracking, even motorcycle tracking. Busses, taxi cabs, trains, planes are all prime candidates for GPS Tracking.

Personal Tracking

With battery powered GPS Tracking devices, you can track people where ever they go. The exception is underground in a cave. Some locations have interference that prevents signals from being transmitted to satellites that are circling the earth, but not too many. And, even if they are, they most likely will not remain out of the watchful eye of these orbiting monitors forever.

Consider the safety and security that these devices afford to those who choose to use them. Then, if the situation warrants, they can be separated from their owners for privacy reasons.

Business Tracking

Businesses are enjoying greater profits these days with the integration of these devices into their daily operations. By being able to track deliveries, location of assets and monitor customer service and expenses, businesses are much better with GPS Tracking on their side.

Public Tracking

We have mentioned public modes of transportation, but what of publically owned vehicles and their use? Trucks, tractors, and other items that are expensive can be kept under close watch and monitored for use. Public employees are watched for the time that they spend in these vehicles and the locations to which they travel. This helps keep expenses on fuel and maintenance low.

Police use of GPS Tracking is making huge in-roads in the tracking and prosecuting of criminals. All under the watchful eye of the court system to ensure that personal rights are not violated.

There are so many ways that GPS Tracking can benefit us, it is difficult to count them all but one thing is for sure – we are better off with them in use than not.

Rocking Mountain Tracking has the best line-up of GPS Tracking Device to meet any need. Take a look at their products and options for the best fit for you or your business. You will find knowledgeable sales persons in helping you get the best unit to meet your requirements.

Emergency Vehicles Benefit from GPS Tracking

November 11th, 2009

by James Neely, freelance writer: click | HERE | to check out GPS products from Rocky Mountain Tracking

So many business types are beginning to use GPS Tracking systems to track their vehicles that it is becoming difficult to follow each one. The latest application that is coming to attention is private ambulance companies that transport the medically infirmed and emergency victims.

Emergency Vehicles & GPS

In Europe and Great Britain, GPS Tracking systems are being employed to perform reporting functions. The first is being able to monitor when sirens and lights are activated to ensure that they are being used properly. The second is for ISO 9001, 1401, 1801 and 2701 compliance.

In major metropolitan areas, GPS Tracking provides a method for keeping track of emergency vehicles that are on active ‘runs.’ This helps dispatchers to use the closest units to an accident scene. With time often of the essence, this helps reduce arrivals to accident locations which can save lives.

Location Verification

GPS Tracking systems with real-time reporting give screen updates every two minutes in order to be able to follow the location of an emergency vehicle at all times, not just during emergency runs. This helps save on fuel and prevent unauthorized use as well.

Direction of Travel

Knowing where an ambulance is during a run will help dispatchers to be able to re-route based on the quickest route and other information such as traffic jams, etc.

Speed Driven

If an ambulance has its lights and sirens activated, it is apparent that it needs to reach its destination quickly. But how quickly? Is the driver placing others in danger because of risky driving and speeds? GPS Tracking reports on this data and it can then be compiled into a report to make sure that a driver is driving in an unsafe manner, even when on emergency runs.

Route taken

Did the ambulance take the quickest route to an intended destination? Was there a closer or better route that should have been considered? Re-routing does not mean second-guessing, but rather disseminating information that an ambulance driver might not have. It makes sense for more than one pair of eyes looks at the whole picture.

Ambulance and emergency equipment have a tough job to just get to the scene of an accident without having one themselves. It is imperative, now, that GPS Tracking systems become integrated within emergency departments. What are you waiting for?

Rocking Mountain Tracking has the best line-up of GPS Tracking Device to meet any need. Take a look at their products and options for the best fit for your business. You will find knowledgeable sales persons in helping you get the best unit to meet your requirements.