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The Chicago Fire Department is testing a wireless system that will pinpoint the location of firefighters in burning buildings. At the University of California, Berkeley, researchers developed the system in response to a request by the fire department following the events of Sept. 11, 2001, when rescue workers in the Twin Towers using incompatible two-way radios were unable to communicate with each other.

The University of California-Berkeley's mechanical engineering department, along with the Center for Information Technology in the Interests of Society (CITRIS) developed the Fire Information and Rescue Equipment (FIRE) system in an effort to enable better communication between rescue workers.

The Chicago Fire Department, which urged researchers to create the new system after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, just started testing the system this spring.

The FIRE system relies on wireless sensors that use radio frequency identification (RFID) tags and can be installed in smoke detectors. The sensors can communicate where a firefighter is located, which helps fire chiefs know when firefighters should evacuate a building.

The system is currently installed in some UC Berkeley buildings as well as the Chicago Fire Department.

Firefighters will also be able to use an interactive floor map that displays their current location called FireEye. The system was created by UC Berkeley student Joel Wilson and comes attached to a firefighter's helmet.
Abstracted by the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center(NLECTC) from the RFID Journal (10/11/06); Swedberg, Claire.