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State wildland firefighters added a big tech advancement to their toolbox this year, a GPS tracking system called DropBlocks. Tiffany Davila with the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management says these state-of-the-art satellite-based devices allow supervisors to locate crews more precisely while they’re on an incident. That was a challenge 10 years ago after the Granite Mountain crew was initially trapped in the canyon. “Often times our crews are deployed to fight fire in very remote locations, sometimes with little to no cellphone service, so these devices (DropBlocks) provide us another communications channel to reach them,” Davila said.

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“This is a really big step in the right direction,” Juliann Ashcraft said. It’s been almost ten years since Juliann lost her husband, Andrew, in the Yarnell Hill Fire … Ashcraft believes the new DropBlocks communication system will finally provide much-needed answers regarding safely fighting wildfires in Arizona. “If the people will incorporate this technology, this type of tragedy will not have to happen again in the future,” Ashcraft said.

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5), “Arizona fire crews testing new ‘DropBlocks’ fire tracking technology”

The Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management is testing new satellite-based crew locating and communication devices to improve safety. … They’re essentially GPS tracking and locating systems that will provide another layer of communication and accountability for crews at work in remote areas with limited or no cell phone service. The department says they have been exploring ways to increase crew safety and enhance communication between firefighters and overhead for years.

Arizona Department of Forestry testing new locating device to improve safety