2026 Agenda

The 2025 fire year brought both triumphs and challenges to incident communications, underscoring the critical role wireless technologies play in public safety. From obscure mountaintop frequency mixing to a dramatic bulldozer-assisted patient rescue on Ripgut Ridge—and even boat operations in support of access and suppression—the year highlighted how complex environments demand resilient, adaptable communications.

This presentation will examine the technical hurdles of 2025, including RF interference, intermodulation, and spectrum congestion on crowded mountaintop sites. We will share lessons learned in deploying NIFC repeaters, coordinating frequencies, and sustaining multi-band interoperability across agencies.

The session will also explore innovations shaping the future of incident communications, including GPS-enabled situational awareness through WFTAK and Tablet Command, Radio over IP bridging with JPS Z2 and Roxi devices, and the rapid adoption of Starlink for field connectivity. Together, these advances point to a future where public safety communications must be both more technical and more adaptable than ever before.

Takeaway

• Understanding of Wildland Fireground Communications
• Radio Over IP evolution in Wildland Fire
• Opportunities in Wildland Fire Communications
• GPS tracking of firefighters