If you’ve ever used a device that picks up signals over the air, you know that sometimes you just can’t get the signal to come in clearly. You point the device every which way, move it all around the room, do a little dance, but nothing seems to work. There doesn’t seem to be any explanation. While that’s an annoyance for us, sometimes people’s lives depend on that signal getting through. People like firefighters. One of my group’s more recent projects has been to help make sure that their signals get through, wherever they are.

Like many people, I’m in awe of what firefighters do. With seemingly little regard for their own safety, they routinely risk their lives to save people they don’t know. Because it’s their job to run into burning buildings instead of away from them, firefighters are “always prepared.” They have to be well-trained, fully alert, and ready to go when the call comes. When firefighters have a medical or other emergency and are themselves in need of rescuing, fire departments use a number of different protocols and technologies to help get them out, quickly and alive.

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