HauteSpot and GER Support the 57th Presidential Inauguration

900,000 People Fill the Capital Mall for the 57th Presidential Inauguration

DC DOH Mobile Command Vehicle with Ewrap™ on right

The 2013 Presidential Inauguration brought landmark changes in emergency management and spectator safety.  For the first time, inaugural personnel used a powerful situational awareness software suite and wireless communications system to track medical emergencies; reunite lost family members; and provide real time information to event organizers.  Emergency personnel from The District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and the United States military integrated emergency data using HC Standard® – a patient tracking and critical asset software solution developed by Global EmergencyResources, LLC based in Augusta, Georgia. The mobile systems and devices were enabled to communicate over various methods including the Ewrap™ (Emergency Wireless Routing Access Point) system developed by HauteSpot Networks for Global Emergency Resources.

One of several first aid tents erected during the Inauguration

HC Standard® and the Ewrap™ system allowed local, state and federal agencies, including the National Parks Service, Secret Service, the Red Cross, and Homeland Security officials to have a common operating picture of major events during the Inauguration, including the Presidential Candlelight Reception; the Inaugural Parade; activities along the National Mall; the Commander in Chief Ball; the Inaugural Ball; and the Inaugural Prayer Service.

Staff from JTF CAPMED prepare for patient support

The DC Department of Health partnered with the MarylandInstitute for Emergency Medical Service Systems (MIEMSS), the Northern Virginia Emergency Response System (NVERS), and the Maryland Department of HumanResources (MD DHS) to provide patient care and tracking throughout the event.  Each partner used its own installation of HC Standard® to enter patient data with Motorola MC65 handheld devices. The MC65 handhelds then linked over either cellular or standard 802.11b/g/n "WiFi" through one of 18 Ewrap™ communications systems strategically placed at tents around the Capital Mall back to command centers in real time.

MC65 handheld with HC Standard® running

The Ewrap™ system is a waterproof, rugged, portable communication system which combines advanced wireless mesh, multi band broadband connectivity, high speed wired Ethernet, and multi technology/multi band cellular (LTE, EVDO, UMTA, HSPA+, and GSM EDGE) wireless backhaul to maintain constant, always on communications, along with long range 802.11b/g/n access point function for client device connections. The electronics are based on HauteSpot's HauteMESH™ router product, but enhanced and integrated into the case, antenna, and power system by GER. Each Ewrap™ is fully self contained with batteries capable of running for several days, yet the system is light weight and easy to carry by hand. The Ewrap™ is intelligent and automatically selects the best backhaul connection.

Ewrap™ systems ready for use

Around the Mall the Ewrap™ units would communicate to each other over mesh. Then each Ewrap™ would connect over the carrier cellular network, announcing it's cellular status over mesh to all the other Ewrap™s. If an Ewrap™ could not connect over its local cellular connection, it could use the connection of another Ewrap™ on the mesh.

Patient and incident management data was aggregated and shared in all the different agency's systems so that EMTs, first responders, and command center leaders could see the full picture of Inaugural events as they occurred.

JTF CapMed Operations Team
on the day of the 57th Inauguration.

During the Inauguration, volunteers from the various EMS agencies used the Motorola Handled devices running HC Standard® to track emergency or first aid case, then transmitted the data back in real to each of the three emergency operations centers where the data was plotted, displayed, and used for the event tracking and management.  Additionally, family members who were lost, and those who were looking for them, had their information uploaded in real time to a multi-jurisdictional database so they could be more easily reunited.  Even the 100+ horses that carried the mounted police were part of the HC Standard® operating picture. 

“Interoperability was key,” says Stan Kuzia, CEO and founder of Global Emergency Resources.  “The EMS and Healthcare partners in the National Capital Region (NCR) have worked diligently over the years to eliminate information silos and enhance communication. This Presidential Inauguration demonstrated their hard work is paying off”.  The various civilian agencies in the NCR  worked closely with their military counterparts to share a combined picture of patients and missing persons being treated and handled during the entire event.  HC Standard® and the Ewrap™ communications system helped to bridge the interoperability gaps on Inauguration Day as near real-time data was made available to military responders just as quickly as it was to their civilian counterparts.