Thales
Alenia
Space
partner
in a
‘Red
Alert’
exercise
to
prepare
final
validation
of
PSMA
March
31,
2008
Thales
Alenia
Space
announced
that
it
has
participated
last
March
26,
in
the
simulation
of
an
air
crash
in
the
Amazon
forest
on
the
border
between
French
Guiana
and
Brazil,
within
the
scope
of
the
SATER
(air-land
rescue)
plan.
This
large-scale
exercise
confirmed
the
capabilities
of
the
PSMA
(Emergency
Medical
Response
Unit),
mobilizing
the
Cayenne
hospital
for
a
full
day,
along
with
public
authorities
and
the
emergency
medical
services
in
French
Guiana.
The
PSMA,
developed
by
Thales
Alenia
Space
in
partnership
with
French
space
agency
CNES,
is a
concrete
example
of
how
space
technologies
can
be
used
for
humanitarian
purposes
and
crisis
management.
It
consists
of a
transportable
container
with
telecommunications
equipment,
providing
a
tailored
solution
to
the
immediate
communications
needs
of
rescue
crews
during
emergency
situations
due
to
natural
or
man-made
disasters,
including
areas
that
are
isolated
or
difficult
to
access.
Outfitted
with
a
satellite
communications
system,
along
with
local
area
WiFi,
GSM
and
VHF
communications
resources,
plus
emergency
medical
supplies,
it
is
designed
to
facilitate
coordination
between
local
rescue
teams
and
provide
decision
support.
In
short,
PSMA
offers
unprecedented
hope
for
more
effective
crisis
response,
particularly
in
parts
of
the
world
most
exposed
to
this
type
of
risk.
The
PSMA
can
be
transported
to
the
site
of a
natural
disaster
(earthquake,
volcano,
hurricane,
fire,
etc.),
technology
disaster
or
armed
conflict
by
boat,
road,
helicopter
or
commercial
airliner.
It
helps
coordinate
the
many
different
aspects
of
humanitarian
operations:
managing
population
flows,
logistics
(food,
tents,
etc.),
medical
assistance,
telemedicine,
analysis
and
methods
of
drinking
water
supplies,
etc.
Used
in
conjunction
with
epidemiological
monitoring,
this
solution
is
designed
to
meet
all
basic
needs,
but
it
can
also
be
enhanced
with
additional
services
to
meet
specific
needs,
for
NGOs,
hospitals/EMS,
civil
security,
and
other
organizations.
The
PSMA
offers
satellite
telephone
services,
broadband
Internet
access
and
access
to
governmental
or
NGO
information
bases.
It
also
supports
videoconferences,
including
shared
applications
and
documents
to
allow
discussions
between
all
parties
involved.
As
prime
contractor
and
supplier,
Thales
Alenia
Space
was
responsible
for
end-to-end
system
integration
during
the
exercise,
including
a
link
with
the
Eutelsat
Atlantic
BirdTM-1
satellite
and
access
to
its
application
tools.
Within
the
Space
Alliance,
Thales
Alenia
Space
will
subsequently
offer
a
service
package
(maintenance
and
assistance)
in
conjunction
with
Telespazio,
which
already
operates
in
French
Guiana.
