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Sunday, April 15, 2012

Mobile Computers in Emergencies

By Allyson Westcot


When many of us think of lifesaving technology at a mine collapse, we think of digging gear tools used to transport food, water and fresh air to places where miners are located, and the technical knowledge of the engineers and pros who are set with the job of pulling the people out safely.

The mine collapse in Chile in which 33 miners were trapped for over 2 months employed all those things to keep the miners alive and then rescue them. The men were trapped 2,000 feet down all that time, in conditions that few have survived, setting a record for the greatest amount of time miners had been trapped in a mine and rescued. And along with the digging gear and other tools used to save their lives, two models of Panasonic Toughbooks played an important role.

A Toughbook CF-29 portable helped ensure the miners were doing well while they waited for rescue by monitoring their physical conditions. And a Toughbook U1 was also used within the mine once the drilling reached the space where the miners were located. Because of the damp and muddy conditions inside the chamber, an ordinary laptop computer could not have lasted.

After 69 days in the mine, the first and last miners were saved within a 24-hour period, thanks to the hard work of the rescue team, the gear, and the use of rugged laptop computer technology. Without the computer technology, monitoring the health of the miners and providing necessary solutions would've been difficult, slow or perhaps even not possible.

Few ordinary people will ever experience a mine collapse or collapse of any type, either from inside or as a rescue worker. But fires, floods, quakes, tornadoes and many kinds of natural catastrophes can strike anywhere, anytime. Emergency personnel who have accessibility to rugged technology like Panasonic's Toughbooks could have quicker access to much needed information that can aid in saving lives.




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