• RoGO Communications
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    GPS Firefighter Tracking Integrated into Wildfire Incident Command Posts

    May 8, 2025
    Satellite communications for firefighter location and weather data fosters immediate tactical coordination, lifesaving situational awareness.
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    In a boon to first-responder safety, two companies have teamed up to deliver GPS tracking and remote connectivity for situational awareness and tactical collaboration in situations where cellular networks are unavailable or unreliable.

    RoGO Communications, which develops life-saving technologies for wildland firefighters, and LBiSat, a satellite communications leader, have melded the latter’s Continuity+ LEO/GEO satellite connectivity with the former’s DropBlocks 2.0. DropBlocks are small, lightweight, and ruggedized devices that go with firefighters to transmit IoT sensor data from remote areas.

    RoGO’s DropBlocks accompany firefighters to provide tactical coordination and life-saving situational awareness. The devices transmit GPS location data as well as hyper-local weather information, including temperature, wind speed and direction, relative humidity, and barometric pressure, to help monitor wildfire threats and anticipate their spread. They also provide point-to-point communications.

    DropBlocks were initially created so that wildland firefighters could avoid being trapped by spreading fire. However, they have since been found applicable to support other first responders in various classes of emergency operations.

    RoGO Communications was founded to develop technology that will save lives of wildland firefighters who often still use handheld compasses, paper maps, and two-way radios. Its technology augments rather than replaces those traditional tools. All data is synced to the cloud and shown in the RoGO web portal, providing a geographical interface that shows the locations of all personnel and the fire weather conditions across the operational scenario.

    LBiSat’s role in the partnership is to provide satellite communications between the RoGO DropBlocks and incident command posts through its Continuity+ and Personal Cell Tower technologies. The company’s enhanced support for tactical resource coordination hopes to save lives by providing a full view of the operational situation and the risks involved.

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    About the Author

    David Maliniak | Executive Editor, Microwaves & RF

    I am Executive Editor of Microwaves & RF, an all-digital publication that broadly covers all aspects of wireless communications. More particularly, we're keeping a close eye on technologies in the consumer-oriented 5G, 6G, IoT, M2M, and V2X markets, in which much of the wireless market's growth will occur in this decade and beyond. I work with a great team of editors to provide engineers, developers, and technical managers with interesting and useful articles and videos on a regular basis. Check out our free newsletters to see the latest content.

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    In his long career in the B2B electronics-industry media, David Maliniak has held editorial roles as both generalist and specialist. As Components Editor and, later, as Editor in Chief of EE Product News, David gained breadth of experience in covering the industry at large. In serving as EDA/Test and Measurement Technology Editor at Electronic Design, he developed deep insight into those complex areas of technology. Most recently, David worked in technical marketing communications at Teledyne LeCroy, leaving to rejoin the EOEM B2B publishing world in January 2020. David earned a B.A. in journalism at New York University.

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