By Brandi Makuski
MILWAUKEE — The Milwaukee Fire Department has begun testing new on-scene accountability technology from Ascent Integrated Tech, marking a significant step forward in firefighter safety and operational efficiency.
The system, first used during the Republican National Convention (RNC) held in Milwaukee in July 2024, provides real-time location tracking for firefighters, enhancing command control and decision-making during emergencies.
Deputy Chief Darin Peterburs said the department is currently using about 50 of the devices in training exercises. “We’re testing it out this fall, and if it proves effective, it could enhance our current system,” Peterburs said, adding that the system allows incident commanders to track individual firefighters through a sensor, carried in their pockets, which relays their precise location inside a structure. “Instead of just knowing they’re on the second floor, rear of the building, we can pinpoint their location to a much smaller area.”
Peterburs said that the technology will be especially useful during mayday calls or communication breakdowns. “We can quickly validate where a firefighter is, even in catastrophic situations where traditional tracking might fail,” he said.
The relationship between Milwaukee Fire and Ascent Integrated Tech began three years ago when Chief Aaron Lipski, a fourth-generation firefighter and Fire Chief since 2021, first spoke with the company.
According to Ascent’s CEO Paul Couston, Lipski’s initial response was clear: “We’re not going to be your science project. Milwaukee doesn’t pilot technology—we deploy it.”
The department is now Ascent’s first large metro client.
Couston, who co-founded the company with Chief Technology Officer Alex Gorsuch four years ago, emphasized that Milwaukee’s adoption of their technology is a major milestone for the company.
“Chief Lipski was one of the first fire chiefs I spoke to,” Couston said. “Three years later, Milwaukee bought 50 of our devices, and now they’re being used in real training scenarios with real firefighters.”
Ascent’s platform, which has been tested by departments across the country, and the U.S. Air Force, provides incident commanders with real-time tracking and biometric alerting.
“In the event that a firefighter has a cardiac event or stops moving, the system will notify command immediately,” Couston said. The technology leverages phones, wearables (like an Apple watch), and other devices already present on the fireground, reducing the need for costly custom hardware.
“We’re not trying to change the firefight, but make the tools firefighters already use more effective,” he added.
Milwaukee’s Deputy Chief Peterburs highlighted the system’s potential to integrate with traditional methods of accountability. “We’re very comfortable with pen and paper or dry-erase boards to track our companies,” he said. “But this tech gives us a more precise way to locate a firefighter in a building, which can be a game-changer in large structures or during critical incidents.”
In addition to firefighter location tracking, Ascent’s system also monitors biometrics to detect early signs of distress.
“If a firefighter is experiencing a cardiac event, the system will alert the command staff, allowing for a quicker response,” Couston explained.
Milwaukee Fire, with 30 fire stations and an annual call volume of approximately 120,000, is one of several departments testing the Ascent platform. The company has also worked with large departments, including Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., and smaller departments, like Mattoon, Illinois, tailoring their platform to fit both large and small agencies.
“What we’re proud of is that we’ve built a solution that works for both big metros and smaller, budget-constrained departments,” Couston said.
Ascent’s pricing starts at $249 per device, including training, and Couston said that they’ve been “totally transparent with costs” to make the technology accessible.
Ascent’s system is built to work with devices that fire departments may already own, such as smartphones, tablets, or wearables. That means departments don’t have to wait for custom hardware to be shipped, significantly speeding up the deployment process.
“We’re not here to force departments to buy expensive hardware,” he said. “If they already have phones or tablets, they can get started quickly by downloading the app and integrating our system. This flexibility helps shorten the turnaround time.”
With 14 full-time employees, Ascent continues to expand its footprint in the fire service and is actively pursuing more partnerships across the country. Couston said the company’s commitment to improving firefighter safety through innovative yet practical technology has positioned them as a growing leader in the industry.
“We’re really excited about what’s ahead,” Couston said. “If Milwaukee’s trials go well, it could set the stage for wider adoption across other metro areas.”
How does the IC receive the information?
According to Couston: The Incident Commander (IC) receives information from Ascent Integrated Tech’s platform through an app accessible on multiple devices, such as a phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. The platform, built on the Team Awareness Kit (TAK) system, provides a real-time map and functions similarly to popular mapping systems like Google, Apple, and Bing mapping systems, but with specific customizations for first responders and military use, displaying the location of firefighters within a structure. The IC can see each firefighter’s position, marked as a “dot” on the screen, track movement, and receive alerts if someone becomes passive or experiences a cardiac event. The platform sends push notifications or SMS alerts to notify the command staff if a firefighter is in distress, stops moving, or experiences a cardiac event.
“The IC can monitor the precise location of firefighters in real-time on a map, pinpointing their position inside a building—down to the floor and side of the structure; this can be viewed on any device the IC prefers, including phones, tablets, or even desktop computers, ensuring that the information is always accessible.”
The system integrates seamlessly with existing devices, allowing fire departments to avoid additional hardware purchases and easily implement the platform into their operations.
What about buildings with thick walls, lead-lining, or with heavy insulation?
Ascent Integrated Tech’s accountability system can still function in these structures, but it faces some limitations due to physical constraints on signal transmission.
Couston: “You can’t beat physics. Thick walls, lead linings, and other building materials can block signals, and we’re honest with departments about that.”
But Ascent partners with third-party vendors to provide solutions like repeaters and amplifiers, which can be installed on fire trucks or command vehicles to boost the signal and extend coverage inside difficult structures.
How does the system pinpoint where a firefighter is?
The accountability system uses several technologies to pinpoint a firefighter’s location inside a building, even in complex environments. The system relies on a combination of sensors and tracking methods embedded in devices carried by the firefighters, such as smartphones or wearables, to determine their precise location.
- GPS and GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems): Outdoors, the system uses GPS, which is accurate for tracking movement. Inside a building, GPS signals can be weak or blocked, especially in structures with thick walls or multiple floors.
- IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit): When GPS isn’t reliable, the system switches to other sensors in the device, like the accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer. The sensors track a firefighter’s movement, orientation, and speed, which allows the system to estimate their location inside the building, even when GPS is unavailable.
- Ultra-Wideband (UWB): UWB technology helps improve indoor location accuracy by measuring the distance between nearby devices. This allows the system to estimate a firefighter’s position in relation to other responders or established reference points, providing a clearer picture of where they are.
- Building Layout Estimation: Although firefighters can’t always upload blueprints of a building in advance, our system leverages data about the layout and adjusts based on movement patterns and other factors. Over time, it can provide accurate positioning on the X, Y, and Z axes—essentially pinpointing the floor, side, and even room within a structure.”
- Passivity Alerts: “If a firefighter stops moving for a period of time, the system generates a passivity alert. This uses the same idea as a PASS (Personal Alert Safety System) alarm but is digital and integrated with our platform.”
How specific is the location tracking?
“It’s very precise,” Couston said. “We can pinpoint a firefighter’s location down to the specific floor and side of a building. If someone stops moving, we can also send alerts to the command staff to send in the Rapid Intervention Team (RIT) for rescue.”
Check out the product video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HyYwoDrB5us
Brandi Makuski has been a journalist in Portage County, Wisconsin, since 2004, and currently operates the Point/Plover Metro Wire. She maintains strong relationships with local police and fire/EMS agencies and advocates training journalists to better cover emergency scenes and improving communication between emergency workers and the press.
