Safety positioning for first responders to fires in underground constructions: A pre-study of demands and possibilities

This report presents the results of the SafePos pre-study, in which different technologies for safety positioning to be used by first responders were identified, and techniques for ad hoc positioning were evaluated. The aim of the project, was to test various systems for localisation and communication and narrow- and wide-band radio transmission techniques, and to further investigate how the presence of such a system could support fire and rescue operations in complex underground environments. Tests have been carried out in real, pre-existing mining environments, and complex office corridors with similar conditions to those of a mine as regards curves and obstructions have been used for introductory tests. A computer application for digital simulation has been developed and adapted to the system, although this only operates on a relatively basic level, so as to support the testing of the positioning and communication systems; thus, more can be done to improve performance for real-life applications. The analysis was conducted by studying the results of the experiments and linking them to expected usage during a fire and rescue operation. Tests have also been carried out in cooperation with the fire and rescue services in order to identify equipment and wearable technologies that could support and make fire and rescue operations in mines and other complex underground constructions safer and more efficient. In order to transfer information to and from these wearable technologies and to improve the likelihood of a safe and efficient fire and rescue operation, positioning and connectivity are requirements.Keywords: Underground constructions, mine, fire safety, positioning, connectivit