Florida Firefighters Protected with GPS Tracking
9 May 2014As the state of Florida may expect a very active year for fires, the Florida Forest Service is protecting its firefighters with GPS tracking devices so supervisors can track their location and keep them safe.
It is no secret that firefighters are exposed to a wealth of dangers. This time, though, firefighters are getting a little help of their own. GPS tracking technology is coming to firefighters rescue.
Using GPS for local firefighters was a decision made after previous fatalities occurred among firefighters in Florida and Arizona. In Arizona, 19 firefighters lost their life after a blaze in the wilderness during the summer, while two rangers died in North Florida when attempting to put out a forest fire in 2011.
Part of the problem in these cases was lack of proper tracking and communication between the firefighters and their supervisors.
Florida Forest Service doesn’t want to repeat this type of tragedy and is using GPS tracking devices to help. This lets supervisors set location points with their laptops, and equip the firefighters with the tracking devices. The supervisor can watch the exact location of their firefighters the entire time they are sent to put out a fire, and they can also get some other real-time data about their condition.
Not only that, the firefighting crews can use the technology to have virtual assistance with getting through the friction and fog of these dangerous wildfires. Manager of the Orlando district of firefighters in Florida said,
“It’s a tool in our toolbox to make sure we know where our firefighters are to the best of our ability.”
In the recent stories involving firefighter and crew fatalities, the trouble started with not being able to communicate effectively and get out safely. Their supervisors only had a general idea of where they were located, which did not give them enough time to search and rescue. However with GPS tracking, they know exactly what their location is, improving the chance of success in getting them out before something like this happens.
This new GPS system gives 400 fire engines and bulldozers GPS receivers, as well as advanced radio transmitters. Around 60 supervisors have GPS software installed on their laptops in order to track the trucks and the firefighters. It initially is costing around $2 million but without continued costs because it doesn’t need Internet service or cell phone service to work.
The system is still new, but already being put to the test. The Florida Forest Service is refining the transmitters to be as accurate and effective as possible. There is a packet of data sent to the supervisor laptops every 30 seconds, as close to real-time as possible. It tracks their location, direction, speed, and unit identification. The only thing it can’t do is give a detailed image of the fire, though they are hoping to get even more advanced in the future with GPS technology.
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