2026 Agenda

Not only is wildland firefighting inherently dangerous, but wildland firefighters often work in remote areas and mountainous terrain without access to connectivity. This makes it difficult to know their location in relation to each other and the fire.

Land Mobile Radio voice communications limit Division Supervisors’ and firefighters’ wildfire suppression and response capabilities. The ability to share important safety information and communicate hazards as firefighting conditions change, is also limited.

In the event of a medical Incident Within an Incident it is crucial to know where the patient is located, how to get there and who is closest to minimizing response time.

The Florida Forest Service employs a Radio Frequency based GPS tracking and mapping system in their wildland fire fleet for all suppression activities enhancing wildland firefighters’ safety, suppression and response capabilities. Tracking and mapping the locations of wildland firefighters provides situational awareness critical for wildland firefighting.

Fuel types and terrain in Florida allow for direct attack with tractor plow rigs in most cases. Having detailed maps before a firefighter is on initial attack, allow for better size up and potential for risks at the urban interface, informing critical decisions. As fires progress and additional resources arrive, firefighters’ ability to see each other’s location relevant to the fire increases the effectiveness of suppression tactics.

The ability for a firefighter to drop ICS Standard PINs increases situational awareness for all engaged on the fire line. PIN Drops are shared on all devices marking critical locations such as hazard trees, water sources and spot fires.

Division Supervisors can more easily scout a fire’s perimeter for potential contingency lines, nearby assets at risk and fire cut-off points. Dropping PINs seen by all firefighters easily communicates locations of tie in points for fire lines, quickly reducing the spread of the fire.

Most importantly in the event of an emergency, a Man-Down alert can be initiated which is seen by all users allowing for immediate response by the closest personnel on the fire.

When connectivity is available, RF GPS track data is repeated over LTE Cellular networks or Satellite backhaul.

Takeaway

• Tracking and mapping the locations of wildland firefighters is important for firefighter safety. Firefighting conditions can change quickly, and knowing firefighters’ exact positions in relation to a fire allows fire managers and firefighters to more quickly identify dangerous situations and extraction in the event of a medical emergency.
• However, large wildland fires can cover hundreds of thousands of acres in remote, mountainous areas with few access roads and limited or no cellular service.
• Radio Frequency based GPS tracking and mapping system enhances wildland firefighters’ safety, suppression and response capabilities.
• Connectivity backhauls the GPS tracking data received over radio frequency to a Geospatial Portal which maps the locations of the firefighting resources trackable by the agency on web-based portal to visualize on a single map the locations of wildland firefighters and vehicles.