GPS vehicle tracking is not just for fleets delivering products to stores. Today, with the increased number of benefits offered by fleet management software, a growing number of government departments are turning to fleet management to streamline their operations and get services to community members more quickly. Fire departments are one of the many government entities that are benefiting from an increasing reliance on GPS fleet tracking.
Firefighting is a dangerous business, and firefighters rely on each other to help prevent a tragedy. When in the field fighting a fire, poor communication can lead to serious injury and even death, and GPS fleet tracking can help limit this risk.
This risk is particularly evident when looking at wildfires. When a department is dispatched to fight a wildfire or brush fire, conditions are prime for firefighters to get lost. Thick smoke impacts visibility, and poor visibility in a field with no landmarks leads to rescue personnel getting lost. For this reason, firefighter fatalities are a high risk during wildfires.
GPS fleet tracking can assist with this. Using GPS trackers on firetrucks and the firefighters themselves, combined with live mapping technology, fire crews can keep tabs on their personnel, increasing the chance of a successful recovery should the fire get out of control or a rescue professional get lost in the smoke and haze. Accurate location information through firefighter tracking also leads to better communication, and better communication saves lives.
Firetruck tracking also helps fire crews better dispatch their equipment to the scene of an emergency. When it comes to a fire, getting to the scene quickly often means the difference between a tragedy and a successful rescue. GPS fleet tracking systems can help fire crews track the most efficient route to a location, while also providing data about response times so the team can make an effort to improve those response times when needed.
By having accurate tracking data about route options, fire stations can make better decisions for planning future routes as well. If the data shows that a particular route is typically congested and causes delays, the team can make alternate plans the next time a call in that area of the city comes.
In addition to helping fire crews find the most effective routes, GPS tracking will assist in tracking response times. A fire crew needs to be on the scene with minimal delay in a true fire emergency, and fleet management software will help track response times to see if they are appropriately fast.
In addition to tracking how long it takes to get to the scene, fire crews need to know how long it takes to stop the fire once they arrive on scene. However, once the firefighters get to the scene of the fire, tracking the time it takes to stop the fire is not the first priority. Yet that data is important to help the fire crew make informed decisions about training focus and improving their efforts at the next fire. Every second counts when a fire is burning a building!
With firetruck tracking technology, which automatically tracks the time it takes to get to a fire and the time the crew is on the site, fire station leadership will automatically receive the data needed to track this information, even if they do not think to time the job when the fire call comes.
GPS tracking for firefighters and firetrucks is somewhat new, but it’s proving to be highly beneficial, both in getting crews to the fire more quickly and in keeping them safe and effective while on the scene. At Track Your Truck, we offer affordable and effective GPS fleet management systems that can work well for firetruck fleets. Whether you are looking for firefighter tracking to keep your crew safer or want to track your firetrucks to ensure you are using the best routes and have the best response times, our system will give you the data and tracking capabilities you need. Contact us today for a free quote of our fleet tracking products, and see the difference they can make for your fire crew.
