(A.) Policy and Legislation
(A.1) Policy Objectives
Emergency communications
Emergency communications should guarantee that everyone, including those with disabilities and people using a different network while traveling, are able to gain access to emergency services. The location of a caller is the most vital contextual information that should be provided to Public Safety answering Points, to ensure accurate and successful help from emergency services.
Public warning systems
By June 21, 2022 Member States must guarantee that in the case of public warning systems in regards to upcoming or developing major crises and disasters, alerts will be distributed by suppliers of mobile phone-facilitated human communication services to the applicable recipients.
(A.2) EC Perspective and Progress Report
The absence of widely accepted specifications for digital networks used for emergency communications in Europe inhibits the capability to put into practice permanent solutions which are compliant with Directive (EU) 2019/882 of April 17th, 2019 on accessibility criteria for goods and services and Directive (EU) 2018/1972 on the European Electronic Communications Code.
It is mandatory to have specific criteria in place for real-time text and complete communication access to emergency services in order to fulfill the special requirements of users with disabilities and to guarantee they have the same access as anyone else in accordance with Directive (EU) 2018/1972. This Directive mandates the provision of real-time text and voice communication services for emergencies when using the European emergency number ‘112’.
The absence of a unified strategy for setting standards for accuracy and dependability of location hampers Member State endeavours to create effective answers that guarantee the emergency services make use of caller location that is advantageous to them so they can swiftly respond to emergencies.
(B.) Requested Actions
SDOs (Standard Development Organizations) should take action to guarantee data protection and privacy regulations (privacy by design) in their continual standardising activities regarding emergency communication as well as the processing and transfer of caller location information.
Find the necessary standardization requirements for the deployment of emergency applications with caller location information and access abilities that can be used by the widest range of people, including those living with disabilities.
Have three Standard-Setting Organizations (SDOs) take action to determine which regulations and requirements call for the sending of mobile user location information to the applicable Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) through mobile carriers in control plane and user plane formats.
Have four SDOs (Subject-Domain Organizations) come up with terminology and alert phrases to be used for emergency communication services, taking the input from multiple civil protection agencies into account.
Instruct five separate Standardisation Development Organisations to look for necessary standards for creating a united emergency alert system in accordance with the 294th provision in European Union Directive 2018/1972.
Task 6 SDOs to outline what is expected of Internet-of-Things gadgets in any kind of emergency condition when it comes to communication.
Instruct seven Standard Developing Organizations to create standards for the architecture (presently known as the Next Generation Emergency Communication architecture), core elements, and relevant technical interfaces for the network access to emergency services.
Instruct Eight SDOs to establish regulations, a functional structure, instructions on protocol and procedures for a Pan European mobile emergency app.
Nine European Standard Organizations (ESOs) must devise regulations concerning the accessibility of emergency messages that result from the European Accessibility Act.
(C.) Activities and Additional Information
(C.1) Related Standardisation Activities
ETSI
The European Commission Mandate M/493 has been fulfilled, wherein protocol specifications were established for efficiently obtaining and transporting the location information of people making emergency calls. This service was created to offer assistance when different providers and operators have to collaborate to figure out where the emergency caller is located, especially if the caller is using an Internet-based Voice-over-IP service, instead of a traditional cellular or landline phone.
Research on providing complete accessibility to emergency services culminated in the production of TS 101 470: Directions for Implementing Total Conversation for Emergency Communications.
SC EMTEL finished a Technical Requirement (TR) to draft regulations for communication with Internet of Things (IoT) gadgets in all kinds of emergency conditions (communications between individuals and authorities/organizations, between authorities/organizations, from authorities/organizations to the individuals, or amongst individuals). The subsequent action is to incorporate the criteria into the related Technical Specifications.
The European Telecommunications Standards Institute has issued a description of its architecture, known as the “Next Generation Emergency Communication architecture,” which outlines its necessary core elements and technical interfaces for accessing emergency services unconnected to a specific network.
The ETSI TS 103 479 outlines the structure, fundamental parts, and related technical communication points. A team of TSs have been put together to create test cases and situations to check on compatibility and agreement testing that goes along with this job.
ETSI has finalized the criteria, operational design, communication system and processes for setting up the Pan-European Mobile Emergency Program. Currently, hundreds of emergency communications apps are being used throughout Europe, but their effectiveness is only available within the area where they are integrated with the Public Safety Answering Point.
The newly revised TS from March 2020 allows for data to be sent directly to the most fitting PSAP for a particular call no matter where the call is taken place.
The idea of “Next Generation 112” has been suggested as a possible answer to the expanding needs and expectations of emergency calls that contain a lot of content. ETSIs have designed tests to analyze compatibility and performance according to criteria for NG112.
IETF
The ECRIT Working Group has created a system of architecture so IP applications can easily locate and establish a connection to services related to emergencies.
The GEOPRIV Working Group constructed protocols that let IP systems disclose the geolocation of the end device to the device itself, an essential condition for emergency calls.
Groups within the IETF specifically devoted to certain applications (like SIPCORE Working Group) have come up with modifications to comply with emergency calling demands.
The Secure Telephone Identity Revisited (STIR) Working Group is creating online methods that can validate that the individual making the call has the authority to employ a certain phone number for an incoming call. The primary emphasis lies in the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) being among the leading Voice over Internet Protocol technologies used by those who aim to disguise their source, specifically the caller’s telephone number. See, for example, RFC7375 “Secure telephone identity threat model”.
oneM2M
Here are some features of oneM2M that can be used to facilitate communication during emergency events: authorization rules, assigning priorities to messages, reducing network blockage, exchanging data within a group, routinely alerting users to changes, and tracking the whereabouts of an individual.
Refer to the oneM2M Technical Report (“TR-0046-Study_on_Public_Warning_Service_Enabler”) and Technical Specification (“TS-0037-IoT_Public_Warning_Service_Enablement”) for further information.
The documents related to all OneM2M standards and reports can be accessed by the public on the website onem2m.org.
OASIS
The OASIS Emergency Management Technical Committee came up with the Common Alerting Protocol, which is employed by emergency responders, meteorologists and crisis management involved parties for broadcasting data about situations and places in peril across different media sources such as SMS, police radio and weather radio. CAP also is approved as ITU-T Rec X-1303.
A set of interrelated EDXL resource and disaster management XML protocols have also been designed, allowing for the transfer of health facility accessibility info (HAVE), the exchange of data about scenarios, incidents, occurrences and reactions (SitREP), and the trading of emergency patient and monitoring information (TEP).
Topic Collection: Communication Systems
- Communication Systems
Solid communication networks can enable emergency personnel and healthcare professionals to maintain contact after a calamity. Creating a back-up system that follows recommended procedures should be done and it should be examined frequently. This Topic Collection comprises materials such as promising practices, reports, reviews, and summaries of initiatives centered around the formation and continuation of strong crisis communication networks.
Must Reads
Bellini, P., Boncinelli, S., Grossi, F. et al. (2013). A pilot study was conducted to test the effectiveness of Mobile Emergency, a system of providing support for hospitals through the use of mobile devices. JMIR Research Protocols. 2(1): e19.
The authors explore the purposes of communication within the medical field during disasters and showcase the results from utilizing a mobile emergency software and hardware system to handle emergency circumstances and facilitate necessary tasks and conversations (e.g., tracking victims, making contact with others, and offering support from the command center to medical workers).
The research, which was conducted in Italy, could be useful for healthcare professionals or planners in foreign countries to come up with system improvements or conceive new ideas.
European Union of General Practitioners. (2013). Report on Health Care Professional Communication Requirements.
This EU-based study examines the requirements and means of communication to health experts during epidemics, taking into consideration the difficulties encountered in addressing all of these experts during the 2009 H1N1 epidemic.
Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service. (2006). RACES Library: Amateur Radio Emergency Network for Hospitals.
This page supplies the necessary data concerning the program, its background, the standard practices for hospital emergency teams, and two training resources (one for hospital personnel and another concerning how to appropriately handle messages).
Applications and Technology
Bellini, P., Boncinelli, S., Grossi, F. et al. (2013). A pilot study examining a support system for hospitals using mobile devices to manage emergency situations. JMIR Research Protocols. 2(1): e19.
The authors examine how medical staff communicate in disaster responses and present their results from a mobile emergency app (which is not around now) and server device designed for emergency operations and the related activities and messages (like monitoring patients, making contact with others, and giving help to those in the command center).
Investigation occurred in Italy, but the evidence collected could be beneficial for medical practitioners and administrators from other nations to propose different aspects of the system or to generate fresh concepts.
Bouri, N. and Ravi, S. (2014). Utilizing Mobile Personal Health Records to Enhance Health Care in Crisis Situations Journal of Medical Internet Research-mHealth. 2(1):e8.
This article talks about how personal health records can be beneficial during emergency events. The difference between PHRs and electronic medical records/health records is that the former can be accessed right away while the latter needs to be routed through a third party, typically the healthcare provider.
Chatfield, A., Wamba, S., and Kirokasu, T. (2010). Exploring the Possibility of RFID Technology in Enhancing Disaster Evacuation Response and Strengthening Local Communities’ Safety and Security. The Hawaii International Conferences on System Sciences are a series of events that feature talks on Electronic Government and Emerging Topics.
This paper looks at how incorporating RFID technology into e-government development and the policy used in managing natural disasters can strategically improve readiness, response, recovery, and reducing the severity of such disasters. This review is based on both a field case study and an examination of the literature.
General Information
The Radiation Studies Branch is part of the Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, which is located within the National Center for Environmental Health of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2003). A discussion involving hospital personnel about communication strategies in a large-scale radiological incident.
This summary from an expert gathering makes suggestions for how to handle communications rules, plans, and abilities during a major radiological occurrence. In the end, it was suggested that particular hazard-related communication strategies should be included in a hospital’s comprehensive communication plan for any type of emergency.
Kennedy, J. (2006). Alternate Communications During Times of Disaster.
The writer gives a summary of old-fashioned communication techniques and accompanying difficulties, and then gives a review of alternate approaches such as infrared, microwave, and satellite communication.
McClendon, S. and Robinson, A. (2013). Leveraging Geospatially-Oriented Social Media Communications in Disaster Response. The International Journal of Information Systems for Emergency Response and Management 5(1).
The authors evaluate the features of two well-known solutions to gather and map public disaster info: Tweak the Tweet (TtT) developed by Project Epic, and Ushahidi. This study looks at the amount, subject matter, and location of data found in both systems and compares and contrasts the differences between them. The authors point out possible outcomes that can be implemented for upcoming social media mapping tools, which can be a helpful resource for emergencies.
Guidance/Guidelines
ASPR TRACIE. (2017). CMS and Disasters: Resources at Your Fingertips.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released the Final Rule of Emergency Preparedness Requirements for Medicare and Medicaid Participating Providers and Suppliers so as to guarantee similarity among healthcare providers in Medicare and Medicaid, guarantee patient safety in times of crisis, and create a more organized reaction to natural catastrophes and those caused by people.
This paper gives access to a number of relevant sources that can be useful for a range of providers and suppliers.
Healthcare & Public Health Sector Coordinating Councils. (n.d.). Managing Communications Without Technology: How Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations Can Overcome Obstacles. (Accessed 6/29/2021.) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Readiness and Emergency Management
This piece informs us of alternative, less advanced ways to communicate in order to keep personnel connected in the event of technology malfunction.
Lessons Learned
Cisco. (n.d.). Case study examining how wireless IP communications facilitate rapid emergency responses. (Accessed 3/21/2017.)
Radios are not able to communicate with each other unless they are linked at the same frequency and work in the same mode without the assistance of a dispatcher. A vendor put together a case study which looked at the use of Land Mobile Radio connected to an Internet Protocol network as a way to tackle the problem and it showed that it increased communication, cut costs, and was a dependable and versatile tool.
Cisco. (2010). Hospital System Improves Emergency Response.
This vendor report explains how two businesses created the “Rapid Emergency Satellite Communications” framework for Rhode Island Hospital, who eventually conveyed the system to the whole state.
Donahue, A. and Tuohy, R. (2006). An Investigation into the Education We Receive from Calamities, Why We Relive Them, and How We Can Pick Up Knowledge from Them. Homeland Security Affairs. 2(4).
In this qualitative study, the authors noticed that errors in communication (like those concerning interoperability and the structure of the infrastructure) were cropping up on a recurring basis, incident after incident. In the text, ideas for enhancement in various areas related to disasters are included.