RFID speeds up emergency handling in large stadiums
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To expedite response to emergencies and other emergencies requiring assistance, Oakland’s Alameda County Coliseum is now using a communications system with AeroScout active RFID tags and VenueSof software. The Alameda County Coliseum, home to the Oakland A’s, Raiders and Golden State Warriors, has 150 stadium employees equipped with hand-held RFID devices that can be used to send alerts indicating the type and location of events.
The Oakland Alameda County Coliseum, with a capacity of 62,000 people, hosts 100 events a year. Like most other large stadiums, Oakland Coliseum offers a two-way wireless communication system to guide managers and enable them to report game contingencies. Managers use the wireless system to communicate with the stadium’s underground dispatch center, reporting the nature and location of the incident.
The dispatcher then contacts the relevant personnel to handle the incident, such as medical personnel, police or maintenance workers. However, old wireless communication systems were slow and inefficient. Not only does it require managers to spend a certain amount of time verbally confirming the nature and location of the incident, but it is also difficult for the stadium to track the progress of the next thing after the help message is sent, such as who responded, how quickly the problem was handled, and how long it took to resolve the problem.
With solutions from VenueSoft and AeroScout, the help-seeking process is largely automated. Each usher is equipped with VenueSoft’s VenueAlert handheld device (the size and shape of a granola bar) equipped with AeroScout’s T3i 2.4 GHz RFID tag that interfaces with standard (802.11) Wi-Fi throughout the stadium. In-point communication. Each handheld has 8 buttons, 6 of which represent a specific type of event: police, security, cleaning, maintenance, medical or management. The remaining two were used to confirm that the required personnel were on site and that the issue was finally resolved, said Chief Operating Officer Randell Wingate.
VenueAlert Handheld with AeroScout’s T3i 2.4 GHz RFID Tag
When an event occurs, the usher presses the button associated with the event. The device’s active RFID tag then sends its unique ID code, along with a request for the selected service type, to the nearest of 13 access points (located in different sections of the stadium). According to Wingate, each access point can read tags up to 330 feet away.
When the usher presses one of the buttons, the handheld sends a message over the Wi-Fi network, said Gabi Daniely, AeroScout’s vice president of marketing and product strategy. AeroScout software identifies the tag and transmits the data to the VenueSoft software system, which then associates the tag’s ID number with the location of the access point and the nature of the call, and displays this information on a large computer screen in the command center.
The dispatcher uses the VenueSoft system to select the relevant response department to send an immediate service request for the district. The VenueSoft software flashes an icon to indicate that the event is still in progress, and the icon does not stop flashing until the problem is resolved. The software system can help select different responders, including multiple security companies, or even two different law enforcement agencies (county, city police), depending on which section of the stadium the call comes from.
When the person concerned arrives at the scene, the usher presses the “arrive” button. When the incident has been resolved, they press the “Done” button.
VenueSoft software can also provide stadium managers with business analytics, allowing them to assess how quickly incidents can be responded to and resolved. They can also see in real time whether people have arrived at the scene in front of a computer screen. After an incident, they can determine the zones where the gym makes the most frequent requests for assistance, and the nature of those calls, so they can better plan the distribution of ushers and security personnel on the field.
The Coliseum first tested the system during the Oakland Raiders’ preseason game in August and has since used it in two other games. The dispatch center receives 300 to 400 requests per event, Wingate said.
“I think the biggest surprise is that the dispatch center is quieter now,” Wingate said. “In the past, in the event of an emergency, all parties communicated by radio. Now it’s all handled by software.”
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