Optimizing EMS Through Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Technologies
Emergency service (EMS, fire, and police) operations can benefit from the integration of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies into the transportation system infrastructure and the emergency vehicles themselves. From simple emergency notification systems to sophisticated dynamic routing algorithms for expedited incident response, ITS technologies provide capabilities to improve the efficiency of emergency operations. This study analyzed the potential for ITS to optimize response and transport times for emergency vehicles and mitigate non-recurrent incident induced congestion. Using public safety records, historical travel time data, and simulation models the study team analyzed a number of candidate technologies and scenarios to estimate the benefits to emergency operations. Specific scenarios analyzed the potential benefits of optimizing vehicle dispatch to minimize response and transport times and minimizing overall response times in order to reduce secondary congestion. The study examined the use of historical and real-time traffic data to select the optimum unit in emergency vehicle dispatch and found that while the use of real-time traffic data benefits emergency vehicle dispatch, much of the same benefit can be achieved by using historical traffic data which can be purchased more cheaply and does not require an ongoing service provider. Using Interstate 65 in the Birmingham region as a study corridor, it was estimated that even small reductions in overall incident response could result in significant reductions in incident-induced congestion.
- Record URL:
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Supplemental Notes:
- This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
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Corporate Authors:
University of Alabama at Birmingham University Transportation Center
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL United States 35294Florida International University
10555 W. Flagler Street
Room 3602
Miami, FL United States 33172National Center for Transportation Systems Productivity and Management (NCTSPM)
Lamar Allen Sustainable Education Building
788 Atlantic Drive
Atlanta, GA United States 30332-0355Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology
University Transportation Centers Program
Department of Transportation
Washington, DC United States 20590 -
Authors:
- Sullivan, Andrew
- Hadi, Mohammed
- Publication Date: 2016-12
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Edition: Final Report
- Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
- Pagination: 62p
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Dispatching; Emergency medical services; Emergency response time; Emergency vehicles; Hazards and emergency operations; Intelligent transportation systems; Optimization
- Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01642800
- Record Type: Publication
- Contract Numbers: DTRT12GUTC12
- Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
- Created Date: Jul 31 2017 4:34PM