The Emergency Responder Health Monitoring and Surveillance (ERHMS) Technical Assistance Document (TAD) aimed at National Response Teams highlights the need for a technology platform for collecting data, before, during and after disasters, to assess the effect training has on response-related illness and injury for emergency responders. This SBIR grant application is aimed at developing a software platform that will not only provide the means to efficiently collect data for the assessment of training impact; but also will provide the means to efficiently deliver pre-deployment and site specific training (SST), against which the assessment of training impact on responders' illness and injury can be evaluated. If successfully implemented, the software platform will be a useful tool both for delivering just-in-time training and for supporting environmental health research relating to responders' exposure to potentially harmful environmental contaminants during and after disaster events. This research project proposes an innovative system for generation and distribution of incident-related knowledge (including manuals, general and site-specific trainings) with integrated monitoring and reporting functionality to address the needs described above. The system will allow the incident command official to generate training materials and data collection tools by simple and straightforward import from existing materials, as well as to customize previously generated tools to better-fit the current situation. All the materials will be delivered to emergency responders in the form of instantly generated smartphone (iOS, Android) and web applications, which will significantly reduce costs of logistics and latency of materials delivery. Materials encapsulation into mobile apps will address the prevalence of mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) at the scene and will ensure that emergency responders can access the content of any situation and circumstances anywhere in the field in the most convenient form, independently of what kind of device they have. Phase I will concentrate on assessing, validating and prioritizing the most demanded tools together with a representative set of key stakeholders; developing a system prototype for digitization and modularization of training and data collection tools, and instant distribution via rapidly created mobile application; prototyping specific interfaces for emergency responders and incident command personnel; testing and finally, evaluating the first prototype. Phase II will concentrate on capabilities of electronic collection and distribution of health status and surveillance data, on integration with an external IT system for two-way communication of hazard data outside incident command, and on generation and delivery of additional materials in response to changed environmental conditions.
Public Health Relevance Statement: Public Health Relevance: The proposed research and development will advance the field of emergency response health and safety by providing new and innovative means for incident command communications with field personnel and nonprofessional responders. The proposed research project will lead to significantly more efficient use of resources during emergencies, better safety of emergency responders, and more rapid reaction to incidents through the development of robust, scalable, and reusable tools for generation and distribution of incident-related knowledge, as well as tools for real-time health monitoring and control.
Project Terms: Address; analytical tool; Applications Grants; base; cloud based; Collaborations; Collection; Communication; Communication Methods; Communities; Computer software; cost; Data; Data Collection; Databases; Development; Devices; Disasters; Electronics; emergency service/first responder; Emergency Situation; Ensure; environmental change; Environmental Health; Environmental Pollution; Event; Exposure to; Fire - disasters; Generations; Glosso-Sterandryl; Goals; handheld mobile device; hazard; Health; Health Status; health training; Human Resources; Information Systems; Injury; innovation; Institution; International; Internet; Knowledge; Language; Lead; Learning; Logistics; Manuals; Medical; Medical Staff; mobile application; Monitor; New Hampshire; operation; Phase; Police; Prevalence; prototype; Provider; public health relevance; Publishing; Questionnaires; Reaction; Reporting; Research; research and development; Research Project Grants; resilience; Resources; response; Safety; Sampling; screening; Services; Site; Small Business Innovation Research Grant; surveillance data; Surveys; System; Tablets; Technology; Testing; Time; tool; Training; Training Support; user-friendly; Validity and Reliability; volunteer
