The single most feared fireground message for every fire chief is the mayday call for a firefighter down. This creates an immediate situation of chaos and life-threatening urgency. One of the major difficulties during a mayday is the quick location of a lost firefighter under the harshest environmental conditions and with limited time for survival. When it comes to firefighter safety and survival, this is the highest priority of the International Association of Fire Fighters.
On Nov. 22, 2019, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) made a landmark decision that moves us one step closer to technology that will provide the immediate location of a firefighter who is in trouble. The FCC voted to approve rules that require wireless carriers to deliver a 9-1-1 caller’s vertical location that’s accurate within 3 meters, in most cases. This includes the “X” and “Y” components but also the “Z-axis” (i.e., elevation, vertical or floor level). The new rule requires for the first time that the Z-axis, or vertical location, must be included for 80 percent of indoor wireless 9-1-1 calls relative to the device location. The FCC requires carriers to meet the new rules in the top 25 markets by 2021 and the top 50 markets by 2023. This is in line with FirstNet’s roadmap for Z-axis location by 2021.
The reason that the vertical location is particularly important to the fire service is because of the criticality of time to locate the firefighter. The 3-meter aspect of the rule is so important, because it is representative of ceiling height for most floors in multistory buildings. Additionally, the Z-axis is beneficial for locating 9-1-1 callers in the same multistory buildings. Each of these examples will enhance service to citizens and safety for responders. Most of the national public safety organizations were in support of and applaud the FCC’s ruling.
And now …
What is most important is that the FCC’s decision moves technologies and innovations forward in ways that will improve and stimulate innovation as enhanced location services.
In 2015, this same discussion on dispatchable-location delayed an FCC ruling on Z-axis. CTIA, which represents the U.S. wireless communications industry, and carriers pressed for a five-year delay, with the hope to meet a set of dispatchable-location requirements and to develop technology to meet these requirements. After these five years, technology hasn’t been demonstrated, and the FCC can’t make a rule where the technology isn’t proven.
The IAFF recently submitted the following comments in conjunction with the notice of proposed rulemaking process: “The International Association of Fire Fighters … is pleased the Commission chose to adopt a vertical location metric of 3 meters. Accurate vertical location information, provided to emergency responders, will greatly expedite response times to individuals in distress in tall structures, invariably saving countless lives and property.” IAFF President Harold Schaitberger stated, “This proposal is good and will allow us to save many lives.”
Although there was some opposition to the FCC’s Z-axis rule and to the desire to wait for all of the aspects as specified in the dispatchable-location, Schaitberger reasserted, “We cannot let the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
The International Association of Fire Chiefs made the following comment: “We also applaud the Commission’s decision to create a Fifth Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. This forward-looking FNPRM illustrates the Commission’s dedication to keeping the public safe with better 9-1-1 caller location accuracy. The Report and Order represents the culmination of many years of dedicated work to achieve a 3-meter Z-axis metric, and we look forward to supporting its full implementation.”
The path forward sets the stage for many more technological advancements, such as Lidar building scans, integration of scanned and/or digital building floor plans/pre-plans and location accuracy. All of these will have major effects on public safety operational effectiveness and safety for the responders who serve their communities.
The technology
NextNav announced its plans to deploy its Z-axis technology (also known as altitude determination services) for 9-1-1 location purposes in the top 50 markets by 2020. One critical point of this technology is that it’s compatible with today’s smartphone technology. Although the vertical-location-requirement accuracy is 3 meters 80 percent of the time, NextNav exceeded that requirement during industry trials, with accuracy of 1.8 meters 80 percent of the time and 3 meters 94 percent of the time.
NextNav’s technology is based on its Metropolitan Beacon System (MBS), which is based on terrestrial transmitters that are able to effectively penetrate buildings and urban settings better than GPS can. (GPS can’t penetrate buildings and is unreliable in urban settings because of obstructions.)
Specifically, NextNav offers the following advantages:
- high accuracy in urban and indoor environments;
- high reliability, high yield and pervasive coverage in a market;
- low variability of results;
- low time to first location fix;
- reduced power consumption; and
- on-device location computation.
NextNav’s terrestrial network transmits a very precise timed signal as well as information about the placement of NextNav transmitters over a GPS-like channel. NextNav transmitters precisely synchronize to ensure accuracy. The NextNav network supports the computation of very accurate height information using differential barometric pressure measurements, similar to an aircraft altimeter. Because the signal is so strong with effective building penetration, a location fix is acquired within a maximum of two seconds. Because of NextNav’s extensive build-out and testing, NextNav ensures public safety at 99 percent effective operation for the entire service area, whether on the street or in a metropolitan “urban canyon.” The system is designed to work with existing GPS within current devices.
On the network side, device location accuracy is achieved both by unique NextNav modes but also by utilizing existing applications easily. The NextNav MBS is a system that operates exclusively as a geographic location network that’s built particularly for life-saving services across the entire service area.
As for network security, only the encrypted transmission is broadcast, and, similar to GPS, the device computes its own location. This restricts location information to authorized devices and related equipment. Security keys are embedded in the devices, which allow access to only NextNav services that have those security keys.
NextNav’s future plans include a full 3D-rendering model. Over the past several years, NextNav worked with public safety to explore nonintrusive and reliable technologies that can be worn by responders 24/7 to ensure that the system can locate them at any moment when they need it the most—when their life is in peril.
Ten years ago, all of this was a dream in the minds of fire service leaders. Now, we have the promise that Z-axis and firefighter location finally will become realized, and firefighter and civilian lives will be saved.
For a NextNav video demonstration, visit: vimeo.com/222454215.
