Space Station Freedom Aural Toxic Alarm Development

To minimize training and enhance crew performance, Space Station Freedom will use the same auditory alarms that are in use for the Orbiter ( i.e. fire/smoke, rapid delta pressure, master, and systems management alarms). However, it has been determined that an additional toxic -atmosphere alarm is required for Space Station Freedom. The purpose of this study was to select an auditory toxic-atmosphere alarm for Space Station Freedom. Four final toxic alarm candidates were selected to be tested based upon expected performance indicated by previous research, compatibility with existing Orbiter alarms, and human hearing characteristics. The candidate toxic atmosphere and the Orbiter alarms were tested to determine how well they could be remembered and discriminated. All 100 subjects received the four Orbiter alarms. Each group of 25 of these subjects received one candidate toxic alarm. The results of the comparisons between the candidate toxic alarms indicated that the “Chirp” alarm ranked first for both response times and errors. The next evaluation looked at how the Orbiter alarms compared with the “Chirp” toxic alarm. The results indicated that “Chirp” toxic alarm had the lowest mean response time and the lowest mean errors when compared to the Orbiter alarms. These results indicate that the “Chirp” alarm most consistently ranked highest of the four candidate toxic alarms tested and that this alarm also elicited competitive performance, in terms of response times and correct identifications, when compared with the existing Orbiter alarms.

Download Full-text

A Method to Reduce Rural EMS Response Times

Prehospital and Disaster Medicine ◽

10.1017/s1049023x00028260 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 143-147 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

David R. Johnson ◽

W. Ann Maggiore ◽

David Ralph Davis

Keyword(s):

Response Time ◽

Rural Areas ◽

Response Times ◽

Patient Assessment ◽

Mean Response Time ◽

Response System ◽

Significant Difference ◽

The Mean ◽

Privately Owned ◽

Made In

AbstractProlonged EMS response times are a significant problem in rural areas. In this study, VHF radios and personal medical kits were placed in the private vehicles of rescue squad members. By coordinating the responses using radios, higher level EMTs were sent directly to the scene to initiate patient assessment and other procedures while others proceeded to an unstaffed station to pick up the rescue truck.Using this response system, EMTs arrived at the scene prior to the rescue vehicle on 30 of 35 calls (85.7%). In 25 of 35 calls (71.4%), the first person at the scene was at an advanced EMT level even though the majority of responses (56%) were made by Basic EMTs (p<0.001). The mean response time for EMTs using privately owned vehicles was 9±4 minutes (means±SD) compared with 16±9 minutes for the rescue truck (p<0.01). There also was a significant difference in response times between the privately owned vehicles and the rescue truck when the time between the receipt of the call and the initial acknowledgement of response was measured (1±1 minutes vs. 7±3 minutes; p<0.01).An effective EMS response can be made in rural areas by sending EMTs directly to a scene in private vehicles. Providing EMTs with VHF radios and personal medical kits enhances this response.

Download Full-text