SPOT
Gen3
from
Globalstar
Selected
to
Track
and
Protect
Spain’s
Forest
Firefighters
16 July, 2015
Globalstar
Europe
Satellite
Services
Ltd.,
announced
that
its
SPOT
Gen3TM
safety
device
has
been
selected
to
track
and
protect
teams
of
firefighters
as
they
battle
against
forest
fire
and
wildfires
in
the
vast
expanse
of
Castilla
La
Mancha
in
central
Spain.
Junta
de
Castilla
La
Mancha,
the
administrative
authority
whose
responsibilities
include
forest
and
wildfire
management
for
this
region,
selected
wildfire
solutions
specialist
Technosylva
to
provide
250
SPOT
Gen3
devices
in
order
to
safely
track
its
forest
fire
and
wildfire
response
teams
and
vehicles.
Fire
is a
major
problem
in
the
dry
and
often
hot
region,
and
some
2,000
response
personnel
are
always
on
standby
to
help
keep
forest
and
wildfire
at
bay.
Technosylva
provides
sophisticated
fire
behaviour
analysis
and
management
software.
Joaquin
Ramirez
Cisneros,
Principal
Consultant
at
Technosylva,
explains
why
Globalstar’s
SPOT
Gen3
was
chosen
to
be
an
integral
part
of
his
company’s
Wildfire
Management
System:
“To
keep
our
crews
safe,
it
is
critical
to
track
where
the
firefighters
are
at
all
times,
in
relation
to
the
engine
and
equipment
resources,
and
how
far
away
they
are
from
the
heart
of
the
fire.
Providing
these
professional
teams
with
the
communications
and
support
they
need
in
the
extremely
dangerous
situation
of
wildfire
is
an
absolute
must.”
Ramirez
Cisneros
points
to
the
SPOT
Gen3’s
integrated
sensors
that
report
when
the
device
is
moving,
and
its
ability
to
be
charged
by
USB
as
particular
major
benefits
to
firefighters.
Gavan
Murphy,
Director
of
Marketing,
EMEA
at
Globalstar
commented:
“One
can
hardly
think
of a
job
that
is
more
important
and
yet
more
dangerous
than
trying
to
contain
and
extinguish
out-of-control
forest
and
wildfires.
We
are
extremely
proud
of
the
role
that
SPOT
Gen3
and
the
Globalstar
network
play
in
supporting
them
in
their
efforts.”
The
new
agreement
with
Junta
de
Castilla
La
Mancha
builds
on
earlier
uptake
by
other
fire
fighting
organisations
in
Spain,
USA,
Canada
and
in
Chile.
SPOT
Gen3
is a
rugged,
pocket-sized
low-priced
personal
GPS
messenger
that
helps
users
stay
connected
via
satellite
even
where
there
is
poor
or
no
GSM
signal.
With
SPOT,
emergency
services
can
precisely
track
fire
fighting
team’s
location,
via
a
user-friendly
display
of
GPS
positions
in
near
real-time
via
the
Technosylva
fiResponse™
platform,
a
wildfire
decision
support
system
based
in
ESRI™
technology
. If
a
firefighter
needs
help
urgently,
with
the
single
press
of a
button,
emergency
services
will
be
alerted,
their
GPS
coordinates
will
be
transmitted,
and
their
rescue
operation
be
initiated.
SPOT
Gen3
provides
off-the-grid
messaging,
emergency
alerts,
extra
long
battery
life,
and
extreme
GPS
tracking,
with
track
check
points
capable
of
taking
place
as
frequently
as
every
2 ½
minutes.
The
convenient
SPOT
App
web-based
interface
allows
co-ordinators
to
easily
view
their
SPOT
messages,
show
user’s
track
points
and
monitor
people
or
assets
via
a
smartphone
or
tablet.
SPOT
devices
have
been
used
in
over
3,500
rescues
worldwide
since
Globalstar
launched
the
technology
in
2007,
and
they
have
given
peace
of
mind
to
many
thousands
more
people.
With
hundreds
of
thousands
of
SPOT
units
in
service
around
the
world,
SPOT
delivers
affordable
and
reliable
connectivity
and
real-time
GPS
tracking,
providing
reassurance
when
there
is
unreliable
or
no
mobile
coverage.
In
Europe,
the
SPOT
customer
base
increased
by
over
7,000
in
2014,
a
record
number
of
activations
in
any
single
year.
