New GPS Location Technology to Help Track Lost or Disoriented Firefighters
27 Dec 2012Between 1977 and 2011, 4,325 firefighter deaths occurred in the United States, reports the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA). But thanks to advanced GPS tracking technology, signal routers, and a vital signs monitor, it’s hoped that firefighter lives can be saved, including firefighters who have become lost or disoriented while fighting a fire.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Division has created three forms of technology to aid the tracking and safety of firefighters. Alongside the GLANSER, (Geospatial Location Accountability and Navigation System for Emergency Responders) tracking device used for tracking the firefighter’s location, they have also developed a signal router called the WISPER (Wireless Intelligent Sensor Platform for Emergency Responders) and a vital signs monitor called the PHASER (Physiological Health Assessment System for Emergency Responders).
According to Charles Werner, the fire chief in Charlottesville, Virginia, firefighters usually have partners with them, but occasionally they can get separated. Since firefighters are in high-stress and high-anxiety situations where debris could fall at any moment, there is an extremely high risk of injury. Structural issues often contribute to a firefighter becoming lost or disoriented. If separation occurs, the radio signal might not be available and the firefighter could take a long time to be found conventionally. GPS trackers allow the rest of the team to monitor their vitals and locate them quickly.
“When you get into zero visibility, and you get disoriented, it’s probably one of the scariest feelings you’ll ever have,” said Firefighter Chief Werner. “You’re in an intolerable environment — it’s literally unsurvivable without protection, but you only have a limited amount of air, and depending on how hot it is, you can only stand the heat so long. And, when you’re a fire chief, it’s your worst nightmare — you realize that you only have minutes in a lot of cases to actually save the firefighter who is lost. It takes everything that you’ve got and everybody that’s on the scene to make that happen,” Werner noted.
The GLANSER tracking device is a portable device capable of tracking up to 500 firefighters and their location inside a building up to 50 stories high. The device can reveal what floor the firefighter is working on and pinpoint what area of the floor the firefighter is on.
This is necessary since approximately 90% of injuries to firefighter is from a lack of radio signal when blocked by tunnels, walls, or trees.
Partnered with GLANSER, is the PHASER device, which helps to monitor the vital signs of a firefighter, including his body temperature, pulse, and blood pressure. These devices work in tandem by sending information over a 900-MHz frequency. If the firefighter gets out of range, the WISPER system will be activated which then sends fire-resistant routers along their path in order to track his location.
Before the GLANSER, PHASER, and WISPER devices were produced, firefighters relied on emergency alert buttons on their 20th century radios. However, a firefighter who is disoriented or confused may not think to press the button or have to fumble to fight it. They are often stuck in a cloud of thick, acrid smoke making it impossible to see their radio. Radios sometimes include GPS technology, but it is not as advanced as the GLANSER with top accuracy that works anywhere in the building.
“That’s probably the fire chief’s worst nightmare — to have a lost firefighter and not know where he or she is,” he said. “To be able to resolve that issue and rescue a firefighter probably would be one of — if not the — most important technologies that we’ll put in place,” said Werner.
The GLANSER GPS tracking device gives the commanders the opportunity to see a three-dimensional map showing the exact location of each firefighter. They can watch the map as the firefighters make their way through the building, include an altitude reference point. The location is said to be accurate within three meters, approximately the height of a typical floor in a building with more than one story. The floor won’t appear on the device, but it will show if they have gone up or down stairs which can be compared to where they entered the building.
Check out the video below to see a depiction on how the technology works.
During the second six months of 2013, GLANSER is expected to be extensively tested in two major fire departments.
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