Benefits of a Mesh Network for Wildfire Response
As California has shown, battling forest fires is clearly easier said than done, but utilizing a so-called mesh network can help improve the effectiveness of these efforts. This type of network can help prevent first responder communication failures – one of the main impediments to successful forest fire response.
What Exactly is a Mesh Network?
A mesh network consists of communication devices that operate independently of Wi-Fi, cellular, and even satellite networks, and it allows first responders to communicate even when mainstream networks are down. It also helps the incident commander keep track of crews by, for example, enabling recovery personnel to be tracked via GPS even during traditional network unavailability.
One example of this technology is goTenna Pro, which consists of mobile devices that connect via radio waves that are independent of the traditional networks. A kit consisting of 20 devices costs around $25k, but the benefits clearly justify the cost. The units pair with smart devices via Bluetooth to facilitate 1-to-1 messaging, broadcast communication, or even private networks. Simply put, this allows critical information to be pushed to responders irrespective of traditional network availability.
Mesh networks have several advantages beyond “always-on” connectivity. They do not require much power, and they can communicate over relatively long ranges (5-10 miles, depending on the terrain). They are very reliable and have been used to facilitate uninterrupted communication during fire activity in California and Colorado. They were also instrumental during Hurricane Michael in Florida.
While the main application of a mesh network is currently firefighting, I can see parallel applications within the utility sector. Communication failures can – and have – happened during utility storm recovery efforts, and a mesh network seems like a good way to eliminate this problem. Many utilities incorporate satellite phones into emergency planning, and the inclusion of a mesh network seems like a natural next step.
