Prometheus - Mobile Applications

Let’s assume we’re going to build the report quickly and in sequence (you can do it as piecemeal as you like and in whatever order you choose).

First, hit ‘M’ then choose whether it’s a ‘Major Incident Declared’, or ‘Major Incident Standby’, or not a major incident (such as when you’re using it to make an ETHANE message).  The time defaults to ‘now’ but you do have the option of setting it retrospectively if you’re a bit behind the curve. You can set the time in the future, though I’d seriously worry if you’re writing your METHANE report ahead of the incident occurring.v

Next is ‘E’ for Exact Location.  This plots your position and, with the right signal, will show your position on a map (using your device’s own mapping system).  If you have no phone/data signal, it should still give you your grid reference or latitude/longitude as with the iPhone, for example, the GPS chip is independent and will work even in airplane mode (techies, you might correct me on the detail but it does still give the correct position in airplane mode/no signal which is the key issue for me).

In most cases, I would just hit Grid Ref to populate that field and move on, but you can do other things.  You can free text if you like.  I think free-texting anything in a Major Incident during the immediate phase is unlikely to happen but we’ve put to option there for you anyway.  Better, I think, is that by touching and holding a finger on the screen a little ‘target sight’ comes up which you can label as your location; the incident location (you might not be physically in the middle of the incident when you write your METHANE so it could be different to your own location); HLS (helicopter landing site); rendezvous point; or access point.  The little target can be moved around the map to where you want it to be if you’ve got fingers like mine and initially put it in the wrong place.

Next is ‘T’ Type of Incident. Listing all the possible types of major incident would be virtually impossible. Listing the more common ones also produces a very long list. We tried to group incidents into broad categories so that finding them quickly should be just a two-tap procedure. For example, tap Transportation and you then have a list of options relating to Transportation, whether it be RTC or rail crash, etc. We have also allowed different paths into the same incident so, for example, a Maritime Transport incident (e.g. ferry crash) can be accessed through Transportation or Water. Again there is the option to free-text, and in Settings you can add your own specific incidents (space craft crashes, marshmallows raining from the sky, etc.) and re-order them into those you are most likely to attend in your role. So for me, I have transportation at the top but if you do event medical cover, Crowd incidents might be up there.

Having finished with ‘T’ we’re on to the ‘H’ hazards. We have tried to list reasonably common hazards and present them in a context-sensitive way depending on the type of incident you’ve selected so you don’t have to waste time searching for what you’re likely to need. In Settings you can define your own hazards and order them as you wish and there’s still the option of free-texting.

After Hazards, it’s on to ‘A’ Access which goes back to the map screen. This is always hard to describe without free-text so you might choose not to populate this field or perhaps just record the RVP in the same way as you can on the Exact Location page

‘N’ the Number and Severity of casualties page gives you the option to free text the number of casualties first. This was left as free text because you might be specific e.g. 17, or you might want to write ‘approx. 100’.

Below that we have four casualty types including fatalities, paediatric casualties, persons trapped, and chemical casualties. Each of these is 0 as default and the first tap of the ‘+’ changes it to multiple as you may not have time or information to put in a specific number. Keep tapping ‘+’ and the number goes into specifics. You can free-text in here too if you wish, which may be easier than multiple taps of the ‘+’ button if there are large numbers.

Finally we have the second ‘E’ of METHANE, standing for Emergency Services present and required. Initially services are shown as ‘not required’ but you can show them required and/or present as the situation demands. Again, the first tap of the ‘+’ button takes the field straight to ‘multiple’ if you don’t have time or want to be specific.

In Settings, you can re-order the services to be relevant to you e.g. if you’re a police officer you may want all the police options up at the top. You can also add your own type of ‘service’ as there are so many different names for teams and resources in different areas. The aim here is to make the list pertinent to the job you do on a day to day basis in your own region.