System Used To Coordinate Rescues

EMS Technologies says its SARMaster search-and-rescue (SAR) information system is now installed in the Vermont State Police's 24/7 dispatch center in Waterbury (VT). The EMS software is being used to process Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) alerts. PLBs were made available to the 48 contiguous states in the United States on July 1, 2003, but this is the first statewide implementation of that technology. The announcement came at the Emergency Response 2004 Exhibition & Conference in San Diego (CA).

When a PLB is set off, SARMaster can detect the location of the alert within a kilometer. For GPS-equipped PLBs, the SARMaster software can narrow the location to within 500 meters.

The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) at Langley Air Force Base, already a user of SARMaster when it receives distress alerts in its national center, has contracted with EMS to deploy SARMaster at the state level to support local rescue activities.

"The State of Vermont is the first site in the United States to roll out SARMaster, and is the first state to be fully operational for tracking PLB alerts wherever they occur in the state," said Dr. Neil Mackay, senior vice president and general manager, EMS Technologies' SATCOM Division. "Time is a critical commodity during a search-and-rescue operation, and SARMaster's GIS information mapping, incident management and other capabilities are ideal for supporting local rescue operations when seconds count."

While Vermont has not yet had any live PLB activations, Lt. Jocelyn Stohl, the state SAR coordinator and a member of the Vermont State Police, predicts that PLBs will become an attractive option for outdoor enthusiasts, including the operators of large outdoor facilities, such as ski resorts. She says the PLB technology and SARMaster software will allow rescue teams to narrow the search area much more quickly, which is critical in a state that has varied terrain and is marked by mountain ranges running north and south across the state. Calling SARMaster "user friendly," Stohl said, "The biggest potential we see with the system is we can locate individuals much more quickly. That will make rescue missions shorter in duration because we have a much more pinpointed area where lost individuals can be found, which, in turn, will reduce costs to the state."

SARMaster was designed by EMS SATCOM Division's Emergency Management Product Group to meet the specialized needs of Search & Rescue (SAR) controllers and Rescue Coordination Centers (RCC) around the world. SARMaster provides controllers with an integrated spatial/textual view of information to effectively prosecute SAR incidents. Developed under the Windows operating system, SARMaster supports dual monitor capabilities for simultaneously viewing of spatial and textual information in a networked configuration, or can be configured for use with portable, stand-alone units.

EMS SATCOM has provided ground equipment and management systems for use with the COSPAS-SARSAT satellite system since its launch in 1981. Since that time, the system has been credited with saving more than 15,000 lives by using spacecraft and ground facilities to detect and locate signals from distress beacons.

FMI: www.ems-t.com