Improving the Quality of Weather Information Provided to Emergency Medical Services Responding to Motor Vehicle Crashes

When a motor vehicle crash happens, emergency medical services (EMS) offer the best prospects for injured occupants. It is therefore important to address any issue that can have a negative impact on the effectiveness of EMS response to a crash. One such issue relates to shortfalls in the accuracy and completeness of current and forecast weather information. These shortfalls are often attributable to limitations in the geographic resolution of measured data as well as difficulties with obtaining real-time access to updated weather as an event unfolds. This paper examines the need for improved weather information to support both ground and air EMS response. Operating environments for responders are examined, and established sources of measured weather data are described, in particular, the system of automated weather stations that support current and forecast weather reporting in the United States. Existing and emerging mobile sensor platforms, which could broaden the geographic extent of measured data especially as advanced intelligent transportation systems evolve, are then considered. Next, a review of weather-related issues identified in reports from helicopter EMS (HEMS) pilots and in severe weather after-action reports from municipalities is presented. For ground responders, a need for real-time, route-specific weather information was identified. For air responders, the system of airport-based weather observation stations developed for fixed-wing aircraft was found to be inadequate for HEMS. A rational, stepwise approach for expanding weather data collection to create a more spatially resolved, low-altitude weather information system to support HEMS is presented.