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It's unusual for computer software to remain in wide use decades after its initial release. The lifespans of most software products are much shorter, averaging less than a single decade according to one study. And recent studies found that software development projects are much more likely to fail than to succeed.

Despite the odds, CAMEO completed its second decade of life this year and is still going strong. CAMEO, short for Computer-Aided Management of Emergency Operations, is the result of many years of collaboration between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists who specialize in emergency response, firefighters, and chemical emergency planners at the EPA. CAMEO places critical information about the toxicity, behavior, and movement of chemicals in the hands of first responders through an easy-to-use computer interface. Emergency responders and planners around the world use CAMEO to prepare for and respond to hazardous chemical incidents.

Did you know?

Over the past two decades, CAMEO has become the most widely used chemical emergency response and planning tool in the U.S. These days, if you live in the U.S., chances are that your city's fire department uses CAMEO. Since 9/11, CAMEO has experienced a ten-fold increase in use. During the past 3 years, there have been more than 200,000 downloads of CAMEO, which is freely available at the CAMEO Web site. Each year, thousands of first responders and emergency planners are trained to use CAMEO in classes led by more than 100 CAMEO-certified instructors.

CAMEO's developers at NOAA and the EPA have ambitious plans for further development of the program. And they'll continue to focus tightly on their first priority: supporting safer emergency response and effective emergency planning. They're satisfied with their track record so far. As emergency manager, former firefighter, and long-time CAMEO user Tim Wixom observes, “One thing that CAMEO gave us was a safer environment to work in. I am happy to say that we have never lost a firefighter at a hazmat incident while we have been using CAMEO.”