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Urbanisation, industrialisation and climate change are increasing the threat, the frequency and the impact of large-scale disasters, including those from earthquakes, chemical spills, floods and terrorist attacks. To limit the impact and number of casualties, a timely and effective response to these events is crucial.
First responders and rescue teams need to be equipped with cutting-edge tools and specialised instruments to enhance their capabilities. Yet operational methods and tools used by rescue teams are so different across Member States that it’s often difficult to make them work together, especially in mass-casualty incidents.
“First response teams lack common monitoring and communication channels, and current governance fails to address issues such as collaboration between different teams, resource sharing and operational planning,” explains Christos Ntanos, research director at the National Technical University of Athens and coordinator of the project. “We often see rescuers relying on their own senses and basic protective equipment, instead of benefiting from cutting-edge support technologies.”
Electronic nose
The Search and Rescue consortium, comprising 28 partners across 12 EU Member States, drew on expertise and infrastructure from previous projects such as CONCORDE and IMPRESS to build its own set of first response tools and technologies.
The team adopted and expanded the capabilities of CONCORDE’s highly interoperable, modular open emergency response software platform for communication and coordination, making it more flexible and scalable. In seven large-scale pilot scenarios, this enabled various groups to work more effectively together. It will also make it easier for disaster response managers to adopt new technologies and off-the-shelf solutions in the future.
The consortium also developed a range of novel technologies and inventions. These include ‘smart’ uniforms with embedded sensors that track responders’ health status and the surrounding environmental conditions, smart glasses, sensors that can detect radiation and multiple hazardous gases, a rescue kit designed specifically for evacuating small children from disaster zones, smartphone applications for volunteers, an e-learning platform for first responders, a mixed reality command centre for decision makers, and more. “We also built an autonomous robot,” says Ntanos, “equipped with a mass spectrometer capable of emulating a dog’s nose.”
The team field-tested all these technologies in exercises conducted across Europe, with a total of 716 participants. “These exercises were centred around specific use cases, including earthquakes, flooding, mountain rescues and forest fires,” adds Ntanos. Evaluation and iterative improvement were key, and significant progress was achieved through continuous collaboration between researchers and end users. Not only did these exercises validate the effectiveness of Search and Rescue technologies, but they also paved the way for their seamless integration into existing disaster management systems.
Paving the way forward
As the project charts its course towards broader implementation, Ntanos emphasises the importance of sustained engagement with stakeholders. “A close collaboration between researchers, innovators, public safety professionals, policymakers and society at large is imperative,” he notes. By fostering partnerships and securing further funding, the project aims to refine its technologies and facilitate their transition from prototypes to market-ready products.
The Search and Rescue project represents a paradigm shift in how Europe approaches disaster management. By harnessing the power of technology and fostering collaboration across borders, it offers a glimpse into a future where first responders are equipped with the tools and knowledge they need to mitigate the impact of disasters and save lives.
This preparedness will increase the resilience of EU Member States to the impacts of disasters, saving lives and minimising the time it takes for communities to bounce back.