Demonstrated at: #5X5

The loss of six firefighters at the horrific 1999 Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse Co. fire triggered an all-out effort by DHS and innovators to find a solution for locating firefighting personnel operating deep in a GPS-deprived environment. The location -- even a rough location -- can guide a Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) to the firefighters in distress. Innovators have come far, and the NIST Public Safety Communications Research team initiated the First Responder Smart Tracking (FRST) Challenge to accelerate the effort. SYSNAV, a French-based location specialist with experience supporting complex logistics tracking, won 4th place in Phase 4 of the challenge. The final FRST Challenge competition takes place at Indiana University's Crisis Technologies Innovation Lab in October of 2023.

SYSNAV has worked closely with Paris Fire Brigade to test its concepts in training scenarios. During my visit at 5X5, I attached the Personal Location Device to my leg and took it for a spin. I was impressed with the accuracy of the plot generated during my brisk walk/run around two levels of the hotel.

Along with SYSNAV, other teams advancing to the final Phase 5 tests at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC) include First Place finisher Smart Firefighting (Ascent Integrated), Ravenswood, AdaptiTrace, EPIC Blue Dot, and Charli. The October event is well-worth monitoring.

Thanks to SYSNAV's Jonathan Szabo for the explanation of progress happening in GPS-Deprived location.