In the wake of disasters such as the tsunami in Southeast Asia, an earthquake along the Pakistan-India border, and hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, the world is finding that speed, accuracy, and identification are critical when lives are at stake - and Zebra Technologies thinks the answer lies in RFID and bar coding.

     The on-demand printing solutions firm Zebra Technologies says that bar coding and RFID technologies can offer a strategic advantage in times of crisis. With specialised digital printers and supplies, aid organisations can quickly authorise and deploy support staff and volunteers, and track and trace evacuees and critical equipment. 116.30.142.201 This article is copyright 2005 UsingRFID.com.

     Identification cards, wristbands, tags and labels with text, bar codes, photos and even RFID chips, can be encoded and printed on the scene, effectively helping relief agencies identify and reunite loved ones, and speed up the distribution of food, water, medicine and other life-sustaining supplies.

It''s not new
     Bar coded wristbands, used today to identify hospital patients and event patrons, can be just as effective in identifying hundreds of thousands of disaster victims. On-demand photo card printers create secure ID badges to identify volunteers and other aide personnel. Plus, everyday bar coding applications in the supply chain could be indispensable for streamlining the delivery of emergency supplies and equipment.

     According to Mike Terzich, senior vice president for Zebra Technologies, "These are not futuristic applications. They are proven solutions that, in the heart of a disaster, ensure that efficient relief services can get to stricken areas and residents quickly."

Wristbands and lists

     Waterproof wristbands, personalised with name, address and bar code, could help identify evacuees and track their location when displaced residents move from shelter to shelter.

     Color-coded wristbands make it easier to triage people in need of medical attention or signal bodies to be collected for the morgue.

     With RFID-encoded wristbands, fixed readers mounted in doorways and corridors - or a handheld reader waved inside a bus or an aeroplane full of passengers - could help volunteers and workers keep track of evacuees and eliminate the need for manual scanning and handwritten lists.

Help cleaning up
     During the clean-up process, mobile printers could create labels or tickets wherever they are needed as field service workers collect and label samples, check for mould and infection in water-damaged buildings, and test gas lines.

     Florida''s Deerfield Beach Fire/Rescue Department (DBFD) currently uses Zebra''s mobile printers during fire inspections, for example, to print code violation forms on demand.

     Coupled with a handheld computer, the wireless system has eliminated transcription errors, reduced paperwork and improved overall efficiency, while providing easy, real-time access to site data. This same benefit could just as easily apply in emergency situations.

     Zebra''s products also helped in the USA''s recent Gulf Coast relief efforts. The company deployed staff and mobile printers to the makeshift Wal-Mart pharmacy in Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, where evacuees sought medical care. Zebra also sent colour card printers to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for use in badging employees, contractors and volunteers during orientation, training and field deployment to assist hurricane survivors.

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                   Extract From Using RFID