Today, GPS tracking is not just for fleet managers, parents, pet owners, drone enthusiasts, and spouses. Fire departments have become one of the government entities greatly benefiting from the reliance on GPS fleet tracking. GPS trackers in firefighting now play a vital role in helping our modern-day heroes by directing rescues if necessary, planning their operations, locating and directing personnel to hot spots, and sending additional help to the accurate location.
Maps have long been important tools for firefighters and are now even more effective with the advent of GPS tracking. The old method was to fly over the fire, while sketching it out over topographic maps. But these sketches are not totally accurate and their rendering takes some time. Smoke often makes it even more difficult to see the perimeter of the fire clearly. Imagine trying to fight a raging forest fire using these maps and without knowing how much acreage is involved!
How GPS Trackers in Firefighting Save More Lives
Improve communication
Firefighting is a dangerous business, and firefighters rely on each other to help prevent tragedies. When fighting wildfires, poor communication can lead to serious injury and even death. Conditions in wildfires or brush fires are prime for firefighters to get lost. Thick smoke impacts visibility, and poor visibility in a field with no landmarks leads to rescue personnel getting lost. Through GPS trackers in firefighting, firefighters can track their personnel, increasing the chance of a successful recovery if the fire gets out of control or a rescue professional gets lost in the smoke and haze.
On the other hand, supervisors can easily see where fires are and communicate with teams in the field. This makes it much easier to find people who may be trapped and get to them before it is too late.
Plan routes
Through GPS trackers in firefighting, the crew can view traffic, weather, and road conditions in real time to avoid hazards and traffic jams. Finding the best route for firefighters helps fire stations and people in danger as it increases efficiency and reduces costs. Getting to the scene quickly often means the difference between a tragedy and a successful rescue.
By having accurate tracking data about route options, fire departments can make better decisions for planning future routes as well.
Dispatch more help when necessary
If it becomes necessary to call firefighters for extra help, GPS trackers in firefighting can quickly send them the right location and transmit the emergency services’ positions. The trackers deliver actual geographical locations of firefighting vehicles, helping dispatchers identify which crew is closest to an urgent situation to be sent to the accident.
Track response times and time on scene
Firefighters need to be on the scene with minimal delay in emergencies. With GPS trackers in firefighting, the crew can track even response times to see if they are appropriately fast. In addition to that, fire crews can now record how long it took to stop the fire. That data is important to help the fire crew make informed decisions about training focus and improving their efforts at the next fire. However, once the firefighters get to the scene of the fire, tracking the time it takes to stop the fire is not the first priority.
With GPS trackers in firefighting, the command center can automatically receive this data.