OnSite ERT tracks firefighters with RFID
17 August, 2009
category: RFID
ERT Systems LLC, a small Ann Arbor based company, has developed a new way to track firefighters while they’re on the scene.
Firehouses that use OnSite ERT (Emergency Resource Tracking) outfit each one of their firefighters with a plastic ID card embedded with an active RFID tag. When called to a scene, first responders place four heavy duty plastic-encased RFID readers with read ranges of 500 feet at the north, south, east and west sides of the building.
The readers automatically track the firefighters as they move through the building and relay the information to a laptop, which displays the names of each firefighter and their position on a four-quadrant map of the building in real time. Fire chiefs or incident commanders can then use the information to direct their teams, ensuring efficiency and safety.
OnSite ERT has already been installed in 15 firehouses in the U.S., with the 16th on the way in Rumsdon, N.J.
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