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:
  https://ntlrepository.blob.core.windows.net/lib/62000/62100/62132/OptimizingEMSthroughITSTechnologies_AndrewSullivan.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  University of Alabama at Birmingham University Transportation Center

  University of Alabama at Birmingham
  Birmingham, AL  United States  35294

  Florida International University

  10555 W. Flagler Street
  Room 3602
  Miami, FL  United States  33172

  National Center for Transportation Systems Productivity and Management (NCTSPM)

  Lamar Allen Sustainable Education Building
  788 Atlantic Drive
  Atlanta, GA  United States  30332-0355

  Office 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