Emergency Response Systems

Naturally occurring and human-made emergencies occur every day on roadways. Emergencies on roadways may be caused by multiple automobile accidents, fires, earthquakes, landslides, radiation release, flooding, snow, ice, and chemical spills. The impacts of these events may be limited to a road intersection or affect large sections of a road network within the surrounding region. Emergency response systems provide a mechanism for emergency services to receive notification of incidents, allocate and prioritize resources, and respond to emergencies.

Emergency response systems were developed to facilitate notification and assist emergency response personnel when responding to emergencies or crises. Some of these systems are centrally monitored and provide a mechanism for emergency managers and organizations to manage and allocate resources during emergency or crisis responses. Automobiles or highways may be equipped with automated sensors that notify emergency response systems when and where an incident has occurred.

Over the years, emergency response systems have transitioned from analog phone communications to mobile and computer-based phones and sensors. As urban populations continue to increase, road networks are becoming more and more congested, leading to increased numbers of emergencies. Technologies and methods for responding to emergencies have improved as a result. Several types of emergency response systems exist on roads, including hazardous materials response systems and automobile response systems for vehicle breakdowns and accidents. Notifications for these systems may occur through the 911 Emergency Response System, intelligent transportation systems, or automated notification systems. Emergency services, such as police, fire, and ambulance, support the response systems, depending on the type of event. During response to an incident site, agencies can use the Incident Command System as a framework for managing and coordinating resources from various agencies.