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Benefits of livestreaming bodycams for emergency rescue teams

Bodycams are used around the world in a wide number of industries and sectors, including by paramedics, firefighters and other emergency rescue teams.

Wearing a body camera comes with a series of major benefits:

  • They offer rescue workers protection
  • They provide evidence or protection in case of unfounded complaints
  • They deliver new ways to communicate and provide support

Wearing livestreaming bodycams in rescue operations sees emergency rescue teams protect themselves and get the support they need any time or place.

Challenges faced by rescue teams in emergency situations

Search and rescue operations face serious complications, as they are often carried out across extensive areas, involving small teams that collect and gather data, and remote command and control.

A study conducted some ten years ago already underscored the finding that social and ecological vulnerabilities increase the number and the complexity of emergency situations. This requires a reassessment of the way in which the parties involved communicate and work side by side. The communication and sharing of critical and pertinent data is a complex and time-consuming process, which is why new technologies need to be screened to support and enhance these processes.

In the wake of the Hurricane Katrina disaster in the United States, the authorities were made to find that inefficient communications and sharing of data posed serious obstacles to the delivery of good and efficient emergency services. This could have been substantially improved by using real-time data such as GPS locations and footage.

We are currently talking about severe restrictions in terms of:

  • The coordination of large-scale civilian operations
  • The safety of civilians and volunteers
  • Eyes on the ground, the more the better
  • A central command post that is often left fumbling in the dark without the latest up-to-the-second data from the ground

In Europe, reports on the handling of emergency equipment at sea during the migrant crisis showed that the biggest problems were the quantity and quality of  communications. A wide number of teams from various countries operating in the same waters lead to fragmented, hit-or-miss and incomplete communications. This results in less efficacious operations and increased risk at critical times.

Commanding officer Sirio Faé of the Rome Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) believes that communications, especially in terms of quantity, are the biggest challenge in Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. We need to be able to reduce the amount of superfluous information to allow our people to focus on the elements that really matter in the coordination of SAR operations.

Livestreaming bodycams to support and enhance rescue and emergency operations

Experience shows that live body cameras significantly uprate the quantity and quality of the communication and information flows, which results in better decision-making and more efficient support for the teams on the ground. A 2021 study into livestreaming body cameras and the associated data management software showed the huge promise held by bodycams for rescue teams. Various field trials were held whereby the bodycams ongoingly gathered data in the form of video footage, photos and GPS coordinates that were directly transmitted to the central command post. This approach delivers major benefits for rescue operations, as the entire team of managers, operators and frontline rescue workers are:

  • Constantly and immediately aware of the latest developments and changes in the field
  • Constantly in touch with one another through live video communications, which allows more eyes to analyse the findings on the ground in real-time
  • Able to assess situations quicker, allowing for the faster-paced delivery of support and immediate corrective action of the teams on the ground if necessary
  • Able to mark and highlight points of interest and add notes alongside live streamed bodycam footage, which makes for a more effective registration and more efficient communications

It is widely recognised that footage, especially real-time footage, is more efficient in relaying complex on-site developments.

A picture paints a thousand words

Livestreaming bodycam footage cuts down the need for verbal communications via radio, which saves precious time at critical moments. Various emergency rescue teams already use livestreaming drones to enhance their communications and operations. It is only a matter of time before livestreaming bodycams will be deployed on a wider scale in rescue operations. With the added support from experts that guide and advise the frontline rescue workers in real-time, more lives can be saved and operations improved.

The livestreaming of bodycam footage is certain to also benefit future emergency operations, as everything can be recorded, shared and analysed after the event, in order to be used for training purposes. The experience of ZEPCAM users who use body cameras to train first aid workers highlighted the following benefits:

  • The bodycam footage established details or elements that had not been spotted during the drills, but were only picked up and analysed afterwards. More data meant further improvements of frontline operations.
  • Bodycam footage is highly rated to show trainees their own actions on the ground and to see the results for themselves, with tagging and notes embedded in the bodycam video management software.
  • Bodycams provide a full picture of every rescue mission, whereby livestreaming bodycams act to support communications between the command post and the people on the ground, providing crucial real-time information.

With every passing year, new technologies are being developed and implemented in order to improve rescue operations in emergency situations. The groundbreaking technology behind livestreaming bodycams allows for the direct and full transmission of critical, potentially life-saving field data. In addition, livestreaming bodycams underpin remote decision-making and provide better support for rescue and response teams in emergency situations across the globe.

Source: ZEPCAM

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