Data processing: database and file management or data structures – Database design – Data structure types
Reexamination Certificate
2001-06-22
2004-06-08
Jung, David (Department: 2134)
Data processing: database and file management or data structures
Database design
Data structure types
C707S793000, C707S793000, C713S193000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06748400
ABSTRACT:
FIELD
The present invention relates to information collection, management and dissemination systems; more particularly the present invention relates to facilitating the collection, the management, and the dissemination of information needed by emergency response personnel to contain a dangerous situation and/or to minimize loss of life, injury, or the destruction of personal property. Additionally, the information may be disseminated to other parties needing the collected data for planning, analysis, and decision making.
BACKGROUND
In the past several decades, the public has become increasingly aware of the environmental and health risks caused by the inadvertent release of a variety of substances and chemicals. Accordingly, those substances and chemicals which are harmful are generally referred to as hazardous materials by various government agencies such as the EPA, OSHA and the DOT. One estimate reported that hazardous materials are manufactured, used, or stored at some 4.5 million facilities in the United States.
Because of the potential threat to health, safety, and property posed by even the presence of safely contained hazardous materials in a community, federal, state, and local governments have instituted “right-to-know” laws and regulations wherein even the mere presence and location of certain identified hazardous materials must be reported to various federal, state and local government agencies.
Information regarding the presence and location of certain identified hazardous materials is extremely helpful to the following:
i) manufacturers and other commercial entities;
ii) various governmental departments;
iii) fire departments (particularly hazardous material accident response teams);
iv) law enforcement agencies;
v) emergency medical services;
vi) state and local emergency planning organizations;
vii) municipal planners;
viii) various non-governmental risk management organizations (e.g., insurance companies, safety consultants); and
ix) real estate developers.
Not only is this information helpful to the organizations listed above to identify potential dangers, but also this information assures that local governments have the necessary protective materials in place along with personnel having proper training to respond to crises involving hazardous materials.
A particularly dangerous situation can occur when there is a fire, a spill, or an inadvertent release of a hazardous material at a shop, a factory, a warehouse, a place of business or facility which includes spaces where hazardous materials are stored. The potential for injury is reduced if firemen or emergency response personnel are forewarned of the type and location of hazardous materials which may be burning, leaking, or are in imminent danger of exploding, releasing, or spreading into unprotected areas.
Because of the clear advantages associated with forewarning firemen, other emergency response personnel, and the community at large of the type and location of hazardous materials to be encountered in an emergency situation, many local governments, state governments, and the federal government require every user of hazardous materials to report on the type and location of the hazardous materials on a regular basis, typically once per year. Such hazardous material reports and risk management plans have become known as “Tier I” reports, “Tier II” reports, Risk Management Plans and Business Plans (for the purpose of responding in the event of an emergency). These reports are generally submitted, on paper, to a number of government agencies along with a required filing fee. Paper copies of the filed reports are typically kept by the government agency in a notebook or in a filing cabinet. New or updated reports are required whenever the storage location of hazardous materials is changed or at the expiration of the predetermined reporting periods.
Supplementing the hazardous material reports are the files maintained by local government agencies, typically a fire department, which reports are typically created or updated during a visit or inspection of the facility. These reports called “pre-plans” or “pre-fire surveys” often contain site maps or floor plans and other data that emergency response personnel need to know when responding to an accident at the facility. This information covers, but is not limited to, the following:
i) gas, water, and electrical cut-off locations;
ii) elevator locations;
iii) hydrant and standpipe locations;
iv) hazardous material storage locations;
v) access/egress routes;
vi) risk management plans.
With a “pre-plan” in hand, emergency response personnel can better determine the safer course of action to either access or avoid and area and how to best respond to an incident to save lives, minimize injury, and avoid the destruction of property.
However, information about hazardous materials, once reported, is of no use if it is not made accessible to those who need the information. It has been estimated that some 850,000 “Tier II” reports, in paper form, are prepared submitted annually in the U.S. Those who have the greatest need for the information contained in the hazardous material reports are firemen or emergency response personnel. These firemen and emergency response personnel who must be able to identify and ascertain the location of hazardous materials in a shop, a factory, a warehouse, or in a place of business on the way to a fire or a similar calamity. When emergency response time is short, difficulties are exacerbated. Accordingly, there is a need to provide a system which will provide the reported information as to the nature and reported location of hazardous materials and other site specific information for emergency response personnel on the way to the site of the emergency.
Further complicating the situation is the fact that most firemen and emergency response personnel are not trained chemists or chemical engineers. That is, most firemen do not completely understand all of the hazards associated with the various substances and chemicals that may be stored in a shop, in a factory, in a warehouse, or in a place of business. Specifically, it may not be known if the hazardous material emits toxic fumes when burned or if special fire suppressant materials may be needed. Some hazardous materials may be poisonous or present a significant bio-hazard or have dangerous reactions if exposed to common agents such as water. The type of information can be particularly important when selecting the type of protective clothing chosen by a fireman to provide appropriate or recommended protection at the site of the fire. In some cases, the usual fire retardant clothing may be acceptable, but in other cases, complete containment cover and breathing apparatus may be necessary. Once at the site of the fire or incident, the fireman needs to know how to properly handle the hazardous materials. There is a still further need to supplement information concerning hazardous materials and their reported location with yet additional information concerning the nature of the hazardous materials, details of the response, action taken, personnel involved, and other site-specific information.
Once a fire has been controlled, there may be a need to file an incident report which describes the location of the hazardous materials, conditions encountered, and actions taken. Such incidents can be very complex and oftentimes contain inaccuracies. There is, accordingly, a need to simplify the preparation and submission of post-event incident reports.
While the foregoing has great applicability to situations involving hazardous materials, the same need exists for emergencies occurring in residential dwellings and other structures or locations. Because the needless expenditure of seconds in an emergency situation can mean the difference between life and death, it would be extremely beneficial for emergency response personnel to be able to learn, on the way to a fire or a similar calamity, if an infirm person may be located in an upstairs room, whether or not an infant may be sleeping in a back bedroom, or if a
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