Introduction

A quick setup of an effective communication system that supports the limited resources of the emergency personnel treating mass casualty events can reduce mortality and morbidity.  Since mass casualty events can happen due to natural disasters, terrorism, transportation accidents, and epidemic diseases at unexpected locations, deficiencies of medical resources and traditional communication systems are certain. It is expected that traditional communication infrastructures such as landline wires and communication towers will default and be damaged. To provide communication means in the first “golden hours”, we propose an ad-hoc wireless network solution-Wireless TeleCare for Mass Casualty Situations (WiTMaX). WiTMaX will support, control and monitor tens and hundreds of patients and personnel over a relatively large site. Each client (e.g., patient, trauma team, logistic personnel) will be equipped with a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) that supports medical needs, can be connected to a plurality of medical devices provisioning vital life signals, and support the ad-hoc wireless network internal needs. WiTMaX will employ off-the-shelf Wi-Fi IEEE 802.11a standard hardware which will be equipped with our developed software. In this project, the Multimedia Networks Laboratory under the direction of the PI will actively collaborate with the Security, Emergency Preparedness, and Response Institute (SEPRI) located at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and its partners such as the BayState Medical Center, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the local and state emergency response teams, the Regional Technology Corporation (RTC), the Army National Guard, and the MITRE Corporation.

This research work is supported by grants from:
 

National Science Foundation	Army Research Office	Microsoft Corporation