WeB-MEDIS Passes the Test
WeB-MEDIS, a unique ORISE-developed product that allows emergency responders to track and transmit patient information using a handheld device, recently was put to the test during an emergency preparedness exercise. And it passed with flying colors.
At the Chemical Stockpile Emergency Preparedness Program’s (CSEPP) annual preparedness exercise in Pueblo, Co., 1,000 participants, including 400 patients and 300 high school students, participated.
WeB-MEDIS, a Web-based version of e-MEDIS, is a triage program that tracks the status of patients "injured" in the mock exercise. Responders entered patient triage information into WeB-MEDIS via a handheld device and then, through wireless synchronization, transmitted the information to area hospitals, alerting them of patient status prior to arrival.
With the volume of patients and participants, ORISE's emergency planners were anxious to see if WeB-MEDIS could handle a large number of entries and have the ability to download information to multiple sites all at one time.
Accomplishing this was not a simple task. ORISE used a wireless mesh network called BreadCrumb®. The BreadCrumb® equipment is in the shape of black, lunchbox-type containers. The team attached bungee cord to the boxes and literally hoisted them up into the air and eventually attached the boxes to existing light poles, thus making the wireless network a reality.
"It worked," said ORISE's Ron Edmond. "It can handle the load."
In addition to testing the new wireless patient triage system, the CSEPP exercise was a tremendous undertaking itself. It brought together such agencies and groups as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Army, local and state health and emergency workers, school districts and the Salvation Army. The exercise was held in an attempt to test local, state and federal resources preparedness in the event of a terrorist hostage situation involving a local high school and a and chemical release—all occurring at the same time.
The exercise was part of an annual effort for our nation's chemical "depots"—locations to test their emergency plans and procedures, as well as those in the surrounding community and across the state.
The exercise was such a success that the Pueblo Fire Department is interested in integrating WeB-MEDIS into their daily operations and expressed interest in acquiring the BreadCrumb® components for themselves.
Learn more about ORISE's emergency preparedness capabilities in the National Security and Emergency Preparedness section of our site.