Down the road, as passive Global Positioning Systems that help incident commanders track on-scene assets become more integrated with personnel accountability systems and emergency vehicles — something envisioned by the National Incident Management System and National Response Plan — snapping everyone's systems to the same grid will become even more essential for resource management.

Even if you don't have GPS, the National Grid is something all fire service organizations should be learning about and training with to achieve full interoperability. Woody Stratton, team leader of the USFA Interoperability Team and programs manager for master planning and the fire prevention technical curriculum at the National Fire Academy, explains.

In simple terms, what is the U.S. National Grid?

Adopted in 2001 as the National Reference Standard by the Federal Geographic Data Committee, the U.S. National Grid is a relatively simple, plain coordinate “where you are in the world” location reference system. It's a single, universal system capable of enhancing incident command and control and improving interoperability of location information between all first responders, governments, private businesses and the general public.

Why is it important for fire and EMS agencies to set their maps and GPS systems to the National Grid?

It boils down to interoperable response. Fire departments and other emergency responders should work from a USNG-based mapping/location system because USNG works particularly well in cross-jurisdictional emergency operations. A vast majority of emergency responders, such as fire departments, have a local mapping system, which in most cases will not be compatible with Global Positioning System devices, and their mapping system will most likely will not be familiar to nor even understood by neighboring response partners, much less large-scale events involving national response groups such as urban search-and-rescue and/or the National Guard.

USNG provides a common frame of reference, a common language if you will, that is available to practically all emergency response personnel whether responding on a local, regional or national basis.

Approximately how many fire departments currently use the National Grid?

According to the [2002] U.S. Fire Service Needs Assessment … 70% of communities with populations greater than 100,000 use a map coordinate system. Only about 50% of the smaller departments, which make up about 53% of all fire departments, have a map coordinate system. At this time we don't have a specific number of how many fire departments have adopted USNG. The Fire Service Needs Assessment [of those using a map coordinate system] indicated that about 1% used the Military Grid Reference System, a close kin to and interoperable with USNG; 3% use some version of latitude/longitude; and the vast majority use a local system. Of course, several municipal and suburban departments and their co-responders will be using USNG when it's incorporated into their regional response plan as part of the National Capitol Region for Washington, D.C.

How hard is it to learn to use grid coordinates?

By design, USNG is relatively easy to learn and use. Upon entering the U.S. Army, privates learn the military version of USNG and become well-versed in its use and methods relative to operational precision. USGS is comfortable enough with USNG that they have begun to place USNG annotations on the nationally distributed U.S. Geological Survey Quad Maps.

Where can local and state officials go for assistance?

Several Web-mapping portals, such as the USGS National Map Initiative [at http://nationalmap.usgs.gov] and Department of Homeland Security's HazardMaps.gov, are using USNG at the user level, making it more accessible for on-hands Web training.

Partnering with the National Guard in the use of USNG provides the benefits of having a source of instructors but also creates an environment of understanding how each group can work together in the use of a critical tool that both will need to be interoperable when the time may come for mutual response to an emergency.

Several national programs involving the use of USNG will be emerging in the near future. At the present time there are several courses at the National Emergency Training Center that include the use of USNG.

For more information on the National Grid, contact Stratton at woody.stratton@dhs.gov or call 301-447-1380.