Tracking devices offer path to safety for lost firefighters.

AuthorWilliams, Robert H.
PositionTECH TALK: A TIP-SHEET ON THE LATEST GADGETS

* Each year about 100 U.S. firefighters die in the line of duty.

A German firm, Draeger Safety KG & Co., and Exit Technologies of Boulder, Colo., have joined forces to enhance the odds of survival for these first responders.

Draeger has developed two radios--the FRT 1000 which is a 457 kHz radio transmitter and receiver, and the ETR 1000 transmit-only unit--that are designed to assist lost, trapped or disoriented firefighters.

The FRT 1000 sends out a signal after 60 seconds if the firefighter stops moving. Similarly equipped colleagues then can locate and rescue the fallen firefighter. The device also comes with a Mayday button.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

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