When firefighters rush into a burning building, it is imperative that they and their operations team know their precise locations at all times. Even with global positioning systems (GPS) and other tracking technologies, environmental conditions, obstructions and interference from the building materials can severely limit pinpointing them. In the event of an injury, search teams rely on communications systems to rescue these first responders. The Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is developing a new system, known as the Precision Outdoor and Indoor Navigation and Tracking for Emergency Responders (POINTER) to help tackle this challenge.

“This technology is critical to ensuring the safety of our first responders. In the event that they lose communication with their command unit, we will be able to pinpoint locations as close as three feet,” said Deputy Under Secretary for Science and Technology Dr. Robert Griffin, a former firefighter. “Besides assisting the first responder community, we could use this technology for a variety of response capabilities, such as a mine collapse to pinpoint the exact location of trapped individuals.”

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