HERO: Hybrid Emergency Route-Opening Protocol

This paper presents an ad-hoc vehicular protocol to support the logistics of first responders. First responders often travel several kilometers to reach an area impacted by an accident or other emergency. The street-path between an emergency responder and an operational field often includes densely populated areas with busy vehicular traffic. It is key that emergency vehicles are able to traverse them safely and as quickly as possible. Vehicular communications is essential for supporting this traversal. Traditionally, this communication is accomplished through intense sirens and lights. Our protocol improves upon traditional techniques by forwarding a first responder's current location and estimated path over an ad-hoc vehicular network. Vehicles lying along this path receive packets and take appropriate actions giving way to an emergency vehicle. Our protocol improves over traditional methods in two ways. First, packets propagated over a vehicular network affords a more timely notification withoug congesting the network. In addition, notifications supply vehicles with a first responders GPS location and intended path traversal. These two improvements allow vehicles to safely and efficiently clear pathways long before an emergency vehicle's arrival.