Non-Military And Paramilitary System Concepts

What new systems would be useful for first responders (paramedics, firefighters, wildfire fighters, police, school security officers, school nurses, lifeguards), search and rescue teams, and national guard units in domestic service (i.e. responding to disasters, riots, etc.)?

Here are some select ideas.

Wide Distribution Of Expanded First Aid Kits

Everyone has band aids, antiseptics, and over the counter painkillers. But, what about wider distribution of "industrial grade" first aid kits to deal with more serious conditions that someone with less training that an EMT could use, especially in more remote areas or areas where gridlock could prevent a rapid response:

* Videophone tablet with a very simple user interface containing instructional videos (for use when only offline access is available and in non-emergency cases), and having the capacity to link to a 24/7 trained remote instructor/mentor to guide a less experienced person through evaluating the situation and applying treatment where available. This device could also be used to communicate ahead to an emergency room so they could prepare to accept someone with less diagnosis time.

* Large capacity cans of liquid bandages for serious trauma like gunshots, and conventional bandages of similar size.

* Tourniquet kits.

* A sterile container for severed body parts with an easily activated cold pack (operating on a principle similar to a can of wart freeze treatment).

* Ketamine, in pre-filled syringes, as an alternative to opioids for someone in extreme pain from trauma.

* An eye wash kit for toxic exposure.

* Syrup of ipecac to induce vomiting where poisoning is suspected.

* Epipens or the equivalent, for acute, life threatening, allergic reactions. Note that bee stings are one of the leading causes of death from animals, and there are a significant number of deaths for allergic reactions.

* Asthma inhalers for asthma attacks.

* Narcan for opioid overdoes.

* Portable AED defibrillators (already common in airports and other public places).

* CPR equipment to aid in mouth to mount and chest compressions.

* Oxygen tanks with masks, for example, for treatment of someone who has suffered smoke inhalation.

* Rape kits for first responders with appropriate training.

* Emergency contraceptives.

* Standard anti-diarrhea mixture to which just clean water could be added to rehydrate someone.

* Nasopharyngeal airway tube with lubricant which inserts through nose to keep airway open for unconscious person having difficulty maintaining airway.

* Neck braces.

* Collapsable backboards.

* Clot buster drugs to administer on an emergency basis for strokes in IV method if necessary.

* Jaws of life to remove someone from a crashed car.

* A tool to break window glass in vehicles and buildings.
* A heavy ax.

* A heavy duty fire extinguisher.

* A fire/chemical resistant jacket.

* Heat/chemical resistant gloves.

* Safety glasses/goggles.

* Rope with a short illustrated card explaining key knots.

* An air supply for attempting a rescue in a smoke or gas filled area without intense fire or falling debris.
* Gas masks.

* Instantly inflatable life jackets to toss to someone at risk of drowning. Where appropriate, these could be attached to a more powerful "gun" that would get them further out that someone could throw.
* A cold shower can that sprays someone with a large amount of cold water at modestly high pressure to immediately cool burns that might go more severe if not cooled and to cleanse toxic chemical and/or soot exposure.

A full service kit like this might be included as standard in law enforcement patrol cars, motorcycle based quick response EMT kits, school nurse's offices, large building security offices, etc.

Bullet Proof Tarps

In the Parkland shooting, Junior ROTC club members located bullet proof tarps or some kind to use to shield people from the shooter. This might be an appropriate device to have as standard equipment in first responder vehicles and distributed around potential targets (school rooms, office buildings, airports, concert halls, etc.), if they are effective.

First Responder Drone Supply Delivery

Small delivery drones similar to those used for donuts or pizza to deliver medical supplies that aren't available in standard first aid kits or ambulances that can reach a scene fast.

This could also be used to deliver supplies to law enforcement in hard to get places like extra handcuffs, ammunition, or perhaps firearms to a law enforcement officer cut off from his firearm where there is a rooftop or balcony or open window that can be accessed.

These could also be used to deliver pre-activated emergency phones to people trapped without communications in hostage situations, fires, or other situations.

Small Networked Recon Drones

A small fleet of hand held drones can scout out active shooter and hostage situations, active structure fires where rescue might be needed or resources might needed, road accidents, avalanche scenes, falling rock and mudslide situations, search and rescue missions, etc. where getting someone to the right place at the right time is critical. 

These might be designed to the video feed can be quickly outsourced to volunteers to monitor over phones or computers so they could flag things of interest.

It might even be possible to deploy many shorter range drones right to the scene with a larger supply drone.

Traffic Management Supply Drone

This remotely controlled larger drone could deliver traffic cones, flares, accident detour signage to exact locations to manage traffic until backup can arrive when the first responders on the scene have more urgent demands on their time.

Wider Use Of Flight For Life

Rush hour traffic can be just as great a problem as long distances or remote locations when someone who has experienced trauma needs to be taken quickly to a hospital, since getting in and out of traffic with an ambulance isn't necessarily quick.

Rescue Teams That Deploy By Aircraft

Some sort of helicopter, VTOL plane or quadcopter to rescue people in places like open water after being caught in a riptide or a lake (perhaps frozen with thin ice) or a balcony or roof of a high rise, or a mountain, could be more widely used.

Riptide Drones

These water based drones that carry someone trapped in a riptide to shore are already in use in Australia.

Airborne toxic spill/firefighting material drop aircraft

Aircraft are frequently used to drop huge volumes of water on wildfires. Why not have them at the ready for large structure fires? Why not have pods that could be grabbed and dumped on toxic waste spills quickly for different kinds of toxic waste.

Armored Indoor Vehicles

These would be airport cart/segway sized vehicles with armor that could be used to respond to active shooters in airports, office buildings, hotels, warehouses, etc. with some level of cover.

Sonic Shot Locators

The U.S. military developed and/or used systems that identify the direction and weapon that is the source of gunfire in an ambush that was carried in vehicles in convoys. Some cities have set these up in high incidence of gunfire neighborhoods (e.g. certain neighborhoods in Denver) and these could also be included on first responder vehicles. Ideally, this information could be quickly shared with recon drones to get other eyes on the threat.

Tracking Tags and Paint Guns

If a suspect is fleeing, deadline force is often illegal or inappropriate, but the desire to catch the suspect is great. A paint gun with a distinctive color of paint, or a tracking device inside a ball of adhesive, could be shot at a fleeing suspect or vehicle, to make it easier to find the fleeing person or vehicle later without a risky high speed chase or the use of lethal force, and would reduce cases of mistaken identity.

Tactically, the approach of closing in on a dangerous suspect with a paint gun or tracker, and then backing off until a situation defuses or backup arrives could be more widely used.

Trackers could also be used to highlight places to get someone to identified by a recon drone, in search and rescue missions where the person in need of rescue may need to be on the move.

Search and rescue dogs with body cams, trackers and telecommunications

Search and rescue dogs can go faster and into smaller places without human companions, but aren't good to communicating what they see back to controllers. A group of search and rescue dogs with body cameras, tracking devices and even some sort of telecommunications where the monitor could hear the dog bark and talk to it, could be a force multiplier in a search and rescue situation with dogs and could speed up often time critical searchers.

Tranquilizer Guns

Tranquilizer guns used typically on wild animals, would seem to be an attractive alternative to firearms for threatening individuals who might have a knife or crowbar or otherwise pose a danger to themselves or others who is difficult to get close enough to with a taser and who doesn't have a firearm.