Category: Events

On 8-9 June 2022, the RESPOND-A project organised its 4th training session in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The event, hosted by University Hospital Saint-George, gathered 50 participants including practitioners from across Europe (Bulgaria, Spain, Cyprus) and was aimed at familiarising first responders to use new solutions while giving technology providers the opportunity to test and collect feedback on their products. RESPOND-A (Next-generation equipment tools and mission-critical strategies for First Responders) is an EU-funded research project aimed at enhancing the safety as well as the operational capabilities of first responders through innovation. Training is a key component of RESPOND-A at it allows first responders to get hands-on training with the various technologies developed by the project. The training was articulated around three phases to simulate a real disaster scenario. The first was the data collection phase, during which technologies, such as smart body health and environmental sensors, were used to gather key information from heterogeneous sources. During the second phase, data processing, data is aggregated and translated to be further usable by crisis managers. The last was the data usage phase, where information is received by crisis managers who then rely on specific technologies that improve the coordination and overall management of the emergency response. This exercise was followed by complementary sessions respectively addressing Augmented Reality and Cybersecurity Awareness and punctuated by an evacuation simulation using serious gaming and supported by local practitioners (Plovdiv Fire Service and and police officers from the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior). You can find relevant material about the training (technologies tested and pictures) on the RESPOND-A website. The 5th and final training of the project will take place back to back with the RESPOND-A Final Demonstration, in February 2023. Follow our activities on Twitter, Linked In and on our website https://respond-a.ianus-technologies.com/ Previous Next

On 24 May, RESPOND-A was presented at the INGENIOUS 1st  International Workshop on Tools for the First Responder of the future. The coordinator EUC briefly presented the project along with numerous sister/brother projects. Then all participated to an open discussion on the technologies developed by the projects articulated around the following questions: 1.            What are the (competitive) advantages of your technologies and how could their functionalities assist the first responders conduct their duties? 2.            What were the main technological challenges/gaps/barriers related to the development of your technologies and how did you overcome them? 3.            Taking into account the importance of defining the requirements of end users, how easy was it to meet their needs and requirements during the technology development process? What further steps are needed to better understand the end user needs so as to improve your technologies? 4.            What have been the main achievements and findings of the testing activities of your projects? 5.            What lessons and experiences have you gained so far from the testing activities – how you have managed the testing so far?

RESPOND-A was presented in the main programme was well as the exhibition area (poster) of the PSCE Conference in Salzburg on 11-12 May 2022. The conference was attended by more than 100 delegates from across Europe and from heterogeneous backgrounds (research, industry, end-users, civil servants). The RESPOND-A technologies, upcoming Use Cases and trainings were presented.

Last Friday, March 25, some of the most promising technologies developed in the frame of RESPOND-A project were presented at the CERIS – Community for European Research and Innovation for Security Cluster Conference on Disaster-Resilient Societies (DRS), by the European Commission – DG HOME. In the session dedicated to Technologies for First Responders, co-chaired by INGENIOUS, CURSOR, FASTER and Intrepid projects, and more particularly under the topic “Inventorying technologies for FRs & Discussing on their added value and operational challenges”, RESPOND-A, together with the previously mentioned projects and others such as Search & Rescue, TeamAware, MED1stMR and NIGHTINGALE, ASSISTANCE, ResponDrone, had the occasion to give some insights about technologies developed that are parts of the consortium.  The Inventory was divided in four categories: Robotics and unmanned vehicles, Sensors, Wearables and mobile devices, Mission Critical Systems: C2 and Communications, and Augmented and virtual reality. The here below technologies have been presented:  1. 5G System, by NCSR “Demokritos;  2. Data Format Fusion (DFT), by Eight Bells Ltd;  3. XBELLO, by Eight Bells Ltd;  4. Environmental Sensors, by HELLENIC INSTRUMENTS;  5. MAESTRO, by Ianus Consulting.  Such Inventory initiative helps identifying interesting similarities, differences or complementarities between the technologies of the different projects and might be a milestone for the European innovation in technologies for First Responders.

The mascletà of the 15th and the cremà of the 19th March 2022, in the frame of the Fallas Festival in València, have been the scene of several trials to test the manoeuvrability and sensors of robots developed in RESPOND-A by partners ROBOTNIK and VALLFIREST. It has been assessed in which scenarios and under which conditions we could use them for police interventions in emergencies, as well as to adjust their parameters and those of their sensors to the needs of police operations. The tests carried out were a pre-test of one of the tools that will be evaluated in the demonstration pilot that will be host in València in early 2023.

 On 2-3 March 2022, the European Project RESPOND-A organised yet another training session to familiarise first responders with the use of innovative technologies in an earthquake use-case scenario.  RESPOND-A (Next-generation equipment tools and mission-critical strategies for First Responders) is an EU-funded research project aimed at enhancing the capabilities of first responders through the use of innovative technologies. After two training sessions respectively held online in December 2020 and in Cyprus in September 2021, third 3rd training session took place at Egaleo City Hall near Athens on 2 and 3 March 2022.  Research and scientific staff from Greece and European countries trained rescue teams from Greece, Cyprus and Spain, using special equipment, such as new communications networks and platforms, augmented reality tools, unmanned vehicles and sensors systems. This training aimed at enhancing the capabilities of first responders through the use of innovative technologies in a simulated environment, as well as testing and evaluating the tools developed. The various technologies involved in the training are shown on this page.  The training was also the first step before the second RESPOND-A pilot, also taking place in Egaleo end of September 2022. More information about the project and the upcoming activities at https://respond-a.ianus-technologies.com/  If you want to know more about training #3 visit this page: https://respond-a.ianus-technologies.com/respond-a-training-3-greece/

“The RESPOND-A project was presented as part of the exhibition area of the Mobile World Congress 2022 (MWC) , taking place from February 28th to March 3rd in Barcelona Spain. The booth was operated by RESPOND-A partner Athonet which displayed the project video and distributed flyers to visitors.” Learn More

We are happy to announce that RESPOND-A is organizing a joint webinar with the  FirEURisk Project titled “Fire and Crisis Management” on 21 March 2022 from 10h30 – 12hCET.   The event marks the signing of an MoU between FirEUrisk and RESPOND-A, in an effort to establish close collaboration and knowledge sharing in the common efforts to provide holistic solutions in wildfire management and First Responders’ safety and health. During the event you will have the opportunity to learn more about the two projects through the presentations of the project co-ordinators, Dr. Domingos Xavier Viegas for FirEUrisk and Dr. George Boustras for RESPOND-A. Also, partners from the two projects will present their valuable work on smoke dispersion modelling activities and integration of new technologies for First Responders.   The event is open to all!  Register

RESPOND-A was presented at the PSCE Conference that took place in Brussels on 30 November and 1st December 2021. The project was highlighted through 2 presentations from RESPOND-A partners:   Augmented Connectivity for First Responders in AI-driven UAV missions by Leonardo GORATTI (Triagnosys) 5G Critical Applications development for First Responders by Drazen RIBAR (Airbus) The project was also presented in the exhibition area through a poster. Around 80 participants from various backgrounds (users, industry, research, EU officials) attended the event. The full conference report and a video are available here.