Mass casualty field trial demonstrates life-saving potential of new technologies

Four years ago academics, emergency responders and industry partners from across Europe came together with a common goal – to create new technologies and systems that would save lives during a chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear (CBRN) incident.

On Wednesday (22 May 2019) the true capabilities of these life-saving technologies, developed as part of the ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ-led , were demonstrated at a mass casualty field trial in Finland.

During the project’s Exercise DISPERSE the emergency services of Mikkeli, Finland, diagnosed and decontaminated more than 100 people affected by a simulated chlorine gas escape using the ground-breaking TOXI-Triage devices and systems.

The field trial was the largest ever undertaken by the project team and took years of planning. Technologies and systems put to the test during the three-hour exercise included:

  • to collect data directly from the incident ‘hot zone’
  • A for casualties that provides real-time data on their status and location to aid the management of decontamination activity
  • – a new system to rapidly determine the level of casualty exposure to poisons by 
  • TOXI-Motive – a way to , aiding the deployment of the emergency services and tackling the spread of fake news
  • An integrator system that pulls together all the data from the diagnostic technologies to give command control the most comprehensive information on an incident and its casualties in real-time

Speaking about the field trial ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ’s Professor Paul Thomas, who is leading the TOXI-Triage project, said: “Exercise DISPERSE has demonstrated just what is achievable when the expertise of academics, emergency services and industry leaders from across Europe come together with a common goal.

“Four years ago we set out on a journey to ultimately save lives. What we have shown through this exercise is that we now have technologies capable of achieving this goal. We can rapidly assess a CBRN incident hot zone via deployable sensors; track in real time casualties and their status; instantly diagnose if a casualty has been contaminated via an onsite breath test; assess the skin of casualties to ensure they have been successfully decontaminated; use social media to aid and react to an emergency response; and vitally pull all this information together via an integrator to give emergency commanders the most comprehensive information of what is occurring during an incident.

“I am beyond proud of what the team has collectively achieved and demonstrated here in Finland. Our ambition for these technologies to be taken to the next level of development, and ultimately become standard practise for an emergency response, is stronger than ever.” 

TOXI-Triage is funded by the . The project consists of spanning the emergency and health services, defence, industry, and university academics.

Notes for editors

Press release reference number: PR 19/62

For images from the field trial please email J.L.Wing@lboro.ac.uk

ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ is equipped with a live in-house broadcast unit via the Globelynx network. To arrange an interview with one of our experts please contact the press office on 01509 223491. Bookings can be made online via www.globelynx.com

ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ is one of the country’s leading universities, with an international reputation for research that matters, excellence in teaching, strong links with industry, and unrivalled achievement in sport and its underpinning academic disciplines.

It has been awarded five stars in the independent QS Stars university rating scheme, named the best university in the world for sports-related subjects in the 2019 QS World University Rankings, University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times University Guide 2019 and top in the country for its student experience in the 2018 THE Student Experience Survey.

ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ is in the top 10 of every national league table, being ranked 4th in the Guardian University League Table 2019, 5th in the Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019 and 8th in The UK Complete University Guide 2020.

ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ is consistently ranked in the top twenty of UK universities in the Times Higher Education’s ‘table of tables’ and is in the top 10 in England for research intensity. In recognition of its contribution to the sector, ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ has been awarded seven Queen's Anniversary Prizes.

The ÌìÌÃÊÓƵ London campus is based on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and offers postgraduate and executive-level education, as well as research and enterprise opportunities. It is home to influential thought leaders, pioneering researchers and creative innovators who provide students with the highest quality of teaching and the very latest in modern thinking.

Categories