Fingerprint Based Temporary Identity Supporting Emergency Actions in Collective Accidents

The paper presents a fingerprint based identification solution, integrated with a communication system in order to support and improve the activity of emergency services on large areas, in accidents implying multiple victims. In such situations, due to possible post-accident effects, it is difficult to obtain the victims´ identity data. Consequently, the occasional patients must be local-identified before to be diagnosed and sent to the appropriate hospital unit. The implemented system allows the obtaining of a provisional identity of the persons, which replaces identity cards along the whole investigation and treatment period even in the absence of any identity act. This identity may be maintained during the whole post accident evolution of a patient, in all the hospitals where a specified person was sent. The victims are registered, their data and evolution being stored and finally, directed from the temporary identity to the true identity, if the conditions allow this. The fingerprint becomes, during a shorter or a longer time interval, the equivalent of an identity card. The proposed system allows local and remote data transmission, voice communication and distributed file sharing.