Firefighters test location tracking technology during a training exercise.
Credit: J. Grasso/NIST
In emergency response scenarios, every second counts, and the ability to pinpoint a first responder’s precise location within building structures can be a matter of life and death. Aiming to enhance the technology for first responders to track their locations, the First Responder Smart Tracking Challenge (FRST) has successfully concluded its final phase.
Led by Indiana University and funded by an $8 million cooperative agreement from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), FRST addresses the crucial need for improved tracking capabilities in complex indoor environments where GPS often falls short.
Six teams vied for top ranking in the development of 3D tracking technology, a critical innovation aimed at improving the safety and efficiency of emergency response operations.
“Emergency response organizations across the country are begging and budgeting for this type of technology and are just waiting to get their hands on it,” said Gary Howarth, program officer for NIST’s Public Safety Communications Research Division, which oversees the FRST challenge.
The competition, which started in March 2022, included five phases, culminating in a final live testing phase at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in south-central Indiana. There, first responders from across Indiana, including the Columbus Fire Department, Indianapolis Fire Department and Bedford Police Department, faced various challenging scenarios, including smoke-filled rooms, darkness, stairs, ladders and tunnels, replicating real-world emergency conditions.
“All six of the finalist teams did well, and they each have unique offerings for the public safety community,” said Sonny Kirkley, director of the FRST Challenge at Indiana University. “While the judges did rate the teams, in many ways all six finalists were successful and have a real ab ..
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