Research Archive

Response, Emergency Staging and Communications, Uniform Management and Evacuation (R.E.S.C.U.M.E.)

Response, Emergency Staging and Communications, Uniform Management, and Evacuation are the next generation of applications that transform the response, emergency staging and communications, uniform management, and evacuation (R.E.S.C.U.M.E.) process associated with incidents.

The vision for R.E.S.C.U.M.E. is to leverage wireless connectivity, center-to-center communications, and center-to-field communications to solve problems faced by emergency management agencies, emergency medical services (EMS), public agencies, and emergency care givers, as well as persons requiring assistance.

Research Plan

The Response, Emergency Staging and Communications, Uniform Management and Evacuation (R.E.S.C.U.M.E.) bundle of applications seeks to leverage new information that helps to quickly detect and assess incidents and their effects on traffic flow, model the evacuation flow, push information to evacuees, and help responders identify the best available resources and ways to allocate them in the timeliest manner. Government officials who conduct evacuations will have a better common operational picture, enhanced by greater communication with vehicles and roadside equipment, public safety personnel in the field, and the public itself. Public safety personnel in the field who are increasingly using portable communications devices (such as tablets and smartphones to supplement radios, cell phones, and mobile data terminals) will be able to provide real-time information to operations centers and traffic management centers which will improve traffic and route guidance during incidents and evacuations.

Some of the key gaps that R.E.S.C.U.M.E. applications seek to address include:

  • Lack of shared situational awareness among first responders and other managers
  • Lack of interoperability among communications systems
  • Need for more timely warnings and notifications to the general public
  • Inadequate notification and warnings to incident scene work zone personnel and vehicles approaching the zones
  • Insufficient information available on special needs populations to facilitate their evacuation and need for relocation

The US DOT defines the R.E.S.C.U.M.E. bundle as the following applications:

  • Incident Scene Pre-Arrival Staging Guidance for Emergency Responders (RESP-STG): This application provides situational awareness information to public safety responders while en route to an incident. It can also help establish incident work zones that are safe for responders, travelers, and crash victims by providing input regarding routing, staging, and secondary dispatch decisions; staging plans; satellite imagery; GIS data; current weather data; and real-time modeling outputs. This new information is expected to provide more accurate and detailed information to support decisions and actions made by responders and dispatchers.
  • Incident Scene Work Zone Alerts for Drivers and Workers (INC-ZONE): This application bundle has two components, one that warns drivers that are approaching temporary work zones at unsafe speeds, and or trajectory; and another that warns public safety personnel and other officials working in the zone through an audible warning system.
  • Emergency Communications and Evacuation (EVAC): This application bundle addresses the needs of two different evacuee groups:
    • For those using their own transportation, EVAC provides dynamic route guidance information, current traffic and road conditions, location of available lodging , and location of fuel, food, water, cash machines, and other necessities.
    • For those requiring assistance, EVAC provides information to identify and locate people who are more likely to require guidance and assistance, and information to identify existing service providers and other available resources.