Duration\Dates\Schedule:

To Be Determined

Project Overview:

Researchers from Civil Engineering, Computer Science, Psychology, Speech Communications, Entomology, and the Illinois Fire Service Institute have completed the first year of a 5 year project to develop an information technologies (IT) based collaboration framework that supports preparedness, response, and recovery from extreme events (terrorism, accidents, natural disasters, etc.). This innovative project is looking to develop several important shifts in the current First Responder paradigms. First of all, they are exploring the role of civil engineers as a key member of First Responder teams. Second, the team is working to understand how several natural systems (bees searching for a new hive, ants warning of danger, spread of disease) collaborate and develop these concepts for more robust collaboration in disaster situations. Another key development of this project is to develop a better understanding of how firefighters communicate at all levels of the chain of command. With this knowledge, appropriate IT components can be developed and deployed.

The facilities at IFSI have been leveraged extensively throughout the first year of the project. Prototype IT components have been tested at "Collapse City" as well as in the burn buildings. Several of the researchers have "ridden along" at night burn training exercises to better understand the fire fighting environment in order to more intelligently design solutions. A Research Training Day is being planned to allow all of the members of the CP2R team, from graduate student to full professors, to don bunker gear and enter the burn buildings in a real live-fire training exercise.

Goals:

• Understanding Firefighter Communications
• Develop shifts in communication paradigms through technology

Hypothesis:

The behavior of simple subjects in a complex system (bee's searching for a beehive) can provide valuable insight into enhancing communication between large groups in a major incident.

Contacts:

• Brian Brauer - IFSI Fire Fighting Program Director
• Professor Feniosky Pena-Mora - Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois
• Professor Liang Liu - Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois
• Professor Lucio Soibelman - Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois
• Professor Khaled El-Rayes - Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois
• Professor Gene Robinson - Entomology at the University of Illinois
• Professor Indranil Gupta - Computer Science at the University of Illinois
• Professor Noshir Contractor - Speech Communications at the University of Illinois
• Professor Andrea Hollingshead - Speech Communications at the University of Illinois
• Stuart Foltz