Event monitoring in emergency scenarios using energy efficient wireless sensor nodes for the disaster information management

Information gathering in tunnels, buildings, bridges, etc. during disasters is of vital importance in speeding up rescue efforts and for protecting the fire fighters. The collected data can be used by the emergency services in the planning of rescue operations and allocation of human resources at a local level. In this article we present design and implementation of a wireless sensor network, which consists of energy-efficient wireless sensor nodes with an integrated ultrasonic sensor, which establish a collision free data transmission in an emergency scenario. The developed network was tested in a field experiment in an explosion within a building to confirm its functionality and reliability. The wireless sensor network was able to pass critical data to the emergency units to initiate the rescue procedures during this disaster scenario.