Nearly 90% of fire-related firefighter injuries happen when a firefighter's radio signal is blocked by walls, tunnels or trees. The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology division has three projects in the works to cut down on these injuries, the GLANSER tracking device, the WISPER signal router, and the PHASER vital signs monitor.
The GLANSER is a portable tracking device that can track up to 500 firefighters simultaneously in a 50-story building. The PHASER monitors a firefighter's pulse, body temperature and blood pressure.
The GLANSER and PHASER both relay information over a 900-MHz frequency. When a firefighter is out of radio range, the WISPER system is activated. It drops tiny disposable fire-resistant routers along the firefighter's path that track the firefighter's location.
