LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
The Air Force Command and Control Integration Center, partnered with the 633rd Air Base Wing first responders, concluded the second phase of the Joint Forces Experiment, July 20 at Langley Air Force Base, Va.
The week-long experiment, titled Unified Capabilities II, tested the integration of mobile devices with first-response teams' ability to respond to emergencies, and share pertinent information with fellow emergency personnel in real-time.
The experiment used realistic scenarios to measure the capabilities of new and emerging technology with emergency-response teams from Langley and the surrounding area.
The study implemented active-shooter and mass-casualty scenarios to test communication between security forces, medical personnel and fire fighters. These scenarios were selected because they require a full response from all three departments. They offered a chance to derive information-exchange requirements for Service members to do their job more effectively.
"The most important objective of this experiment is aid first responders, so they can help when you need it most," said Greg Church, JEFX experimentation branch chief.
The use of multiple technologies, such as smart phones and tablets, allows emergency-response teams to share up-to-the-second information as it develops on-scene, replacing the voice-only communication capability of the land mobile radios currently used.
Because technology fully impacts everyday life, this new system offers a simple solution that can greatly improve communication between emergency response departments, said Technical Sgt. William Copeland, 633rd Security Forces Squadron flight chief. One person on-scene will have the ability to disperse information to all first responders quickly and efficiently. This will allow all personnel to see the same information simultaneously, providing a complete picture as soon as the call comes in.
This technology removes the need for constant calls to each department, saving time, money, resources - and potentially - lives.
"This method will offer streamlined communication between first responders," said Staff Sgt. Sarah Kearney, 633rd SFS specialist and experiment assessor. "Technology is changing every day, and this gives us the opportunity to enhance the way we handle emergency situations."
This new system will allow leadership at the Emergency Operations Center to have a constant situational awareness of the event, allowing them to tie the teams together into a unified front.
The first phase of the experiment, Unified Capabilities I, was conducted Jan. 16 through Feb. 10, and tested different cellular providers, as well as set up a mobile infrastructure on Langley AFB using third-and fourth-generation cellular technologies and mobile devices.
Although the first phase was only a few short months ago, the process has been a year in the making.
Last summer, the JEFX team met with Langley first responders to get an operational look at potential ideas to improve the current response system in place. Those same team members helped conduct the latest phase of the experiment. This provides them with context, while allowing them to grow with project.
"The first phases of the experiment opened the door to new technology," said Col. Joel Martin, Innovation and Experimentation division chief. "We wanted to find out what it could do for a warfighter in any environment."
While all military personnel are familiar with exercises, the purpose and methods of experiments aren't as widely known. An exercise tests the capabilities of personnel and their ability to complete tasks proficiently, whereas experiments test new equipment and procedures.
Langley personnel were offered the opportunity to work as testers to implement the use of new technology and procedures at the experimental stage. The data collected from these experiments will most likely be implemented throughout the Air Force, said Martin.
The JEFX team partnered not only with Langley personnel, but off-base emergency-management offices as well. The JEFX team stressed the importance of getting the input of everyone who will implement and use the developments on a regular basis.
"It's important the people using the equipment are the ones giving the feedback from a daily-operations perspective," said Church. "This experiment will open some eyes to the potential of mobile technology and united capabilities."
Everyone involved agreed that this is an advantageous way of approaching this process.
"The people that will use the technology aren't always the ones who test it," said Kearney. "This experiment allows first responders to test the equipment in a realistic setting to ensure that it is up to par."
After each evaluation, each participant was tasked to complete a survey with various questions about how the scenario went with the newly-added technology.
"This experiment is focused on quality, not quantity," said Church. "The feedback from the first responders will be used to make their jobs easier, as well as avoid any possible pitfalls."
Once the data is compiled, the information from these experiments will be evaluated by the Air Force Communications Directorate, and Air Force Space Command to determine if this method will be implemented Air Force wide.