RoGO Communications Unveils DropBlock 2.0 and Mobile App for Wildland Firefighter GPS Tracking

Satellite-enabled tracking system and mobile app aim to improve firefighter location awareness and communications in remote, cellular-denied environments.

RoGO Communications has introduced DropBlock 2.0, a satellite-enabled tracking device, together with a mobile application that allows firefighters and emergency responders to monitor the location of personnel and equipment in remote areas where cellular networks are unavailable.

The company was founded by Chief Executive Officer Rod Goossen and his brother Derek Goossen, who served on teams that fought more than 100 wildfires. The company said its technology development was inspired by the deaths of 19 firefighters during the 2013 Yarnell Hill fire in Arizona.

The product launch took place on June 30, coinciding with the 13th anniversary of the memorial honouring the firefighters who lost their lives in the incident.

Andrew Ashcraft, one of the Granite Mountain Hotshots who died in the Yarnell Hill wildfire, had received the "Rookie of the Year" honour in 2011 after joining the crew. His mother, Deborah Pfingston, said:

“We have been excited since RoGO Communications began developing this type of technology. We know this kind of tool might have saved the lives of my son and his courageous crew members giving them vital information about the fire,” she said. “We know it can help save lives in the future."

According to the company, the updated DropBlocks have been reduced in both size and weight for easier use by wildland firefighters. When paired with a DropBlock device, the newly launched mobile application enables point-to-point communications and displays GPS locations of firefighting assets together with fire weather data on mobile phones operating in austere, remote or cellular-denied environments.

The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management conducted field testing of the technology with six wildland fire handcrews. The evaluation suggested further improvements, including the smaller device size and point-to-point data communication capabilities for targeted team messaging.

The system is designed to provide situational awareness by tracking firefighting crews, equipment and resources, including bulldozers, water tenders, fire engines, high-value structures, medical evacuation rescue sites and temporary water sources. The devices also function as portable weather stations, providing wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity and other IoT sensor data.

While originally developed for wildland firefighting operations, RoGO Communications stated that DropBlock technology can also support first responders during hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and other emergency response situations.

Commenting on the launch, Rod Goossen, Chief Executive Officer of RoGO Communications, said:

“Based on feedback from wildland firefighter field trials, the commercial launch of our new DropBlock and mobile phone app enables immediate deployment for everyone to have a common operational picture of resources and conditions to support the initial attack of a wildfire, the time of most dangerous risk to firefighters,” Goossen said.

The company also announced that it has received a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II contract to support the continued development of DropBlock 2.0. According to RoGO Communications, the contract from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) focuses on improving coordination between ground firefighters and aerial firefighting resources through enhanced communication and data sharing.