Wearable Wireless Sensor Networks for Emergency Response in Public Safety Networks

Abstract

Public safety communication networks have evolved over the past decade from land mobile systems to broadband and beyond. However, the emphasis remains on infrastructure-based communication systems. There is a potential risk that during a disaster, existing infrastructure could be completely damaged or oversaturated. In addition, historically very limited attention has been given to the health monitoring of the first responders during a rescue mission. To bridge this gap, it is envisioned that Wearable Wireless Sensor Networks (W-WSNs) could play an important role to enhance existing Public Safety Networks (PSN). In this chapter, we will introduce the W-WSN architectural framework based on on-body, body-to-body and off-body communication networks which can be considered as an add-on to existing PSN infrastructures. Subsequently in the context of PSN, significant details of this new system and associated problems and challenges in emerging heterogeneous networks are presented.