Researchers work toward new system for locating trapped firefighters

(NECN: Kenneth Craig, Worcester, Mass.) - This week marks the 10-year anniversary of the fire that killed six Worcester, Massachusetts, firefighters. Today, local researchers are working on new technology aimed at finding and helping firefighters who become trapped in burning buildings. Ten years ago, the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse fire left six firefighters dead, gained national sympathy and became a tragedy the fire department and city will never forget. For Dr. David Cyganski, a professor at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, it was immediately a call to action. "A group of us got together to figure out why it happened and to see if we could do anything about it." And so, for the better part of the last decade, Cyganski and his team have been working to develop a complex firefighter alert and tracking system -- a multi-million dollar project with support from the national government. But, designing a system that could work in large, intricate, burning buildings, like the Cold Storage Warehouse, isn't easy. The team has developed two systems. One uses a wand to detect a down firefighter, who is already equipped with a transmitter. Another, which is still two years away, is a system which works like a GPS tracking, also allowing a commander to track a firefighter's vital signs and building conditions. Chief Walter Giard says the department has been working with researchers at WPI.