Texas-based startup ResponderX, Inc. will provide attendees of the Fire Department Instructor’s Conference (FDIC) 2018 with an opportunity to see a live demonstration of its firefighter tracking system at the conference’s trade show April 26-28. First unveiled at last year’s show, TaskForce Tracker was described by Erich Roden, Editor-in-Chief of PennWell Fire Group’s FireRescue Magazine, as “Hands down, one of the top three products at FDIC.”

The system is comprised of a device the size of a deck of cards which is worn on a firefighter’s protective gear that communicates with an apparatus-mounted computer. These two devices transmit data to a tablet managed by the incident commander or safety officer, which displays each individual firefighter’s exact location on an emergency incident scene. In the event of a mayday, rescue crews know exactly where to find the downed firefighter, rather than spending precious time searching for him or her.

. The passively-deployed system tracks firefighters both inside and outside of a structure and collects data on fire conditions to relay back to fire officers outside the hazard zone. There is currently no other device on the market available to emergency responders which is comparable to the TaskForce Tracker system; the ability to precisely locate firefighters inside of a structure has long been sought by firefighters, and is described as industry insiders at the “Holy Grail of firefighting”. ResponderX currently has approximately 20 agencies around the country, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, & Firearms’ National Response Team, identified as pilot sites. Piloting is scheduled to begin later this year, and additional agencies are still being considered as pilot sites.

Inspiration for the idea came to company founder and CEO Andrew Jarrett after a 2013 fire at a Knights of Columbus Hall in Bryan, TX which claimed the lives of two Bryan Fire Department lieutenants and severely burned two firefighters.

Mr. Jarrett and the ResponderX team will be providing information about the system and speaking to departments interested in piloting and/or purchasing the system. Interested attendees and media may contact Director of Client Relations Cody Blount to schedule interviews or individual meetings with Mr. Jarrett during the conference.

Please visit www.responderx.com for more information.

If you were stranded on an island and you could pick one individual from the annals of the history of the American Fire Service to accompany you, whom would be your choice? This question was posed to some of FDIC International 2018 instructors. Here are their responses...

Markus Vogt, instructor, International Fire Academy in Switzerland (Tunnel Training Centre for Tunnel Firefighter): I would take my wife to this lonely island. She is a firefighter (Group-Chief) in our hometown. I trust her blindly; our communication works quite well; and we are used to working together.

Captain Brian Zaitz, Metro West Fire Protection District, Cottleville, MO: I would have to say I would want to spend some time with the late Chief Brunacini. He would already be dressed in island attire with his trademark Hawaiian shirt. The ability to spend some time listening and learning from such an icon would be priceless. I know I would be in pain laughing from his jokes but still taking in the life lessons related both to the fire service as well as humanity in general. 

Chief (Ret.) Richard Marinucci, educational director, Fire Department Safety Officers Association: I have three choices. All were as passionate about the fire service as anyone I had ever met.

• Jim Page. He was a great guy; I was just getting to know him when he died (too young). I had much more I wanted to discuss with him. He was brilliant.
• Tom Brennan. I had known Tom for a while, and he was quite a character and always positive. He treated everyone like a brother (or sister) regardless of the size of their fire department. He was a down-to-earth guy who was enjoyable to be around.
• Alan Brunacini. He was such an amazing guy on a personal level. He was way smarter than most of us, but he had the ability to explain things so simply. He had a great sense of humor and an unbelievable commitment to the fire service.

Assistant Chief Douglas Cline, Horry County (SC) Fire Rescue:  Chief Alan Brunicini. He was a dynamic forward-thinking visionary. He had the ability to see every dimension of the situation with a window to the wider worldview of where to go or take the situation.  He was one of the greatest mentors I had, and he never stopped mentoring even after 27 years of mentoring me. He gave me a huge opportunity at FDIC 1993 when I was selected to participate in one of his main stage programs. He had so much more knowledge and wisdom I would have loved to have been able to learn from. He was always progressive and understood the true meaning of servant leadership.

Chief Buddy Cales, Paramus (NJ) Fire Department: Deputy Chief Fire Marshal Joseph M. Kelly. Coming from the world of fire investigation, I can only imagine what it was like in 1961 when he started his fire investigation career with the Fire Department of New York and what it evolved into when he retired in 1995. I can only speculate on the things he saw, the changes he adapted to as technology moved forward, and the major fire scene investigations he oversaw, which included the Happy Land Social Club Fire in March 1990 and the infamous Honesdale, Pennsylvania, nursing home fire in 1971 in which all 15 patients died. His ability to adapt and to remain at the top of his field for this amount of time must have been as a result of his resourcefulness, dedication to his field, and his tenacity. Having him with me while stranded on an island would guarantee my survival. 

Assistant Chief Eddie Buchanan, Hanover Fire & EMS in Richmond, VA: Ben Fra