Is this the future of first responder fire protection?

The US Army showed off it's big acronyms today with the anouncement of RMCS developed by CERDEC's S&TDC division. Big names aside,  this is very cool stuff, makes us wonder how this will work with NIST's IBR program.

The First Responder – Response Mobile Communications System, developed by CERDEC’s Space and Terrestrial Communications Directorate (S&TCD), is a rapidly deployable communications system that provides wireless connectivity, situational awareness and 3-D location and tracking in the absence of a fixed communications infrastructure.

The RMCS monitors vital signs of responding personnel and provides the incident commander cognitive oversight of the responders’ environmental conditions. It also delivers voice communications and live high-quality video to the incident commander and headquarters coordinating the operation.

“Not since the introduction of the portable defibrillator, thermal imaging cameras and night vision devices has a technology of this scale been introduced,” said John C. Erichsen, Fort Monmouth fire chief. “First responders will be able to be directed by a central unit who at the same time is monitoring other information vital to the task at hand. This will truly save the lives of both first responders and the victims they are trying to save.”

Future mobile ad-hoc networks? As we like to say "the network is the security system."

NIST IBR Program 


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