Scott Pak Tracker

[SageVigiles 1,194]

http://www.scottsafety.com/en/us/DocumentandMedia1/Marketing/ProductLiteratureandCatalogs/Brochures/Bro_PakTracker_HS_6554C_2L-0208.pdf

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with the SCOTT Pak Tracker system. In West Haven the Center District received a grant for SCBA and purchased the Scott 75 series packs with the Pak Tracker. West Shore District bought a Pak Tracker and was able to retrofit some of their current SCBA with the Pak Tracker transponders, and Allingtown has the same on order. Plan is for the Trackers to be on the Truck Companies with the RIT bags.

Apparently this system was instrumental in quickly locating the 2 downed firefighters in Worcester last month. We did a training evolution with the system in the Regional Burn Trailer last night and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the technology. Obviously with any radio system there are interference issues, etc, which we tried to re-create but were unable to do so. Anyone have any experience with this? Know any typical quirks or limitations that aren't advertised? Any tricks for operation?

[SOUSGT 357]

http://www.scottsafe...54C_2L-0208.pdf

I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with the SCOTT Pak Tracker system. In West Haven the Center District received a grant for SCBA and purchased the Scott 75 series packs with the Pak Tracker. West Shore District bought a Pak Tracker and was able to retrofit some of their current SCBA with the Pak Tracker transponders, and Allingtown has the same on order. Plan is for the Trackers to be on the Truck Companies with the RIT bags.

Apparently this system was instrumental in quickly locating the 2 downed firefighters in Worcester last month. We did a training evolution with the system in the Regional Burn Trailer last night and I have to say I'm pretty impressed with the technology. Obviously with any radio system there are interference issues, etc, which we tried to re-create but were unable to do so. Anyone have any experience with this? Know any typical quirks or limitations that aren't advertised? Any tricks for operation?

The pack tracker transmits a unit identifier when the "PASS" alarm sounds. Our department uses our departmental letters and the pack number as the identifier. We have a a plastic accountability tag with the pack number on each pack. When the fire fighter removes the pack from the rig he/she attaches his/her accountability tag to the pack tag and then both are attached to the command board before the FF enters the fire zone or proceeds to the staging area for assignment. This way if an alarm is received from the Pak tracker, we know who to look for and don't have to waste time doing a roll call. Fortunately we have never had to go this far.

i would recommend that neighboring departments get together before purchasing the system and come up with a standard identifier indicating the department/company and the pack #. This way you don't wind up with a few #4's at the scene of a incident involving many departments or companies.

[lad45der 78]

We have two trackers one is in the deputy chief's car for the RIT team and the other unit is on the Rescue. We found the unit works well in a wood frame building. The unit does not work as well in non-combustible buildings or fire resistive buildings.

I would prefer it worked better in a larger building not a wood frame building with doors and windows in close proximity to one another. It would be nice in a say a 70,000 square foot building your means of egress for firefighter removal are a lot more challenging and time consuming.

[50-65 205]

We have a a plastic accountability tag with the pack number on each pack. When the fire fighter removes the pack from the rig he/she attaches his/her accountability tag to the pack tag and then both are attached to the command board before the FF enters the fire zone or proceeds to the staging area for assignment. This way if an alarm is received from the Pak tracker, we know who to look for and don't have to waste time doing a roll call.

I like that idea. We have a Pak Tracker on our truck. but the packs are only identified by the apparatus they are assigned to, along with designated spares.

[Alpinerunner 61]

I thought the pack tracker was more than an identifier system and that it was supposed to be more like "firefighter lo-jack". We have it on all our packs and have played wit the wand, which gives your direction and intensity of the signal from the PASS-activated pack.