GLANSER

GLANSER (Geospatial Location Accountability and Navigation System for Emergency Responders) is a heatproof and waterproof wireless tracking system designed to locate and aid firefighters and other emergency responders should they become trapped in a fire. GLANSER units are small black boxes that attach to a firefighter’s air tank. The black box combines a microwave radio, a lightweight battery, and various navigation systems into a “tracking device the size of a paperback book” (DHS.gov).

The GLANSER units use a global positioning system (GPS) chip to track the exact location of firefighters. Since “GPS satellite signals are too weak to penetrate most buildings,” GLANSER is also able to “[track] the wearer’s location by measuring the speed and direction of his or her body movements” (NEWSPAPER). The device contacts the laptop command center if the firefighter stops moving, as lack of movement in rescue efforts usually means that the firefighters are in imminent danger. GLANSER units also utilize air pressure sensors to determine what floor the firefighters are located on, and Doppler radar to “identify walls and doors” to better navigate a disaster scene where visibility might be nonexistent (NEWSPAPER).

GLANSER was developed by the Science and Technology Directorate within the United States Department of Homeland Security. The product was designed and built by Honeywell First Responder Products in Dayton, Ohio, Argon ST in Fairfax, Virginia, and TRX Systems Inc. in Greenbelt, Maryland. Extensive testing was conducted at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, Massachusetts.