MOVE USA May 2026 Tech Talk - Wildland Fire Radio Communications
Radio Communications in Wildland Fire Operations
Every firefighter deployed to a wildland fire learns the critical importance of Lookouts, Communications, Escape Routes, and Safety Zones, or LCES, as firefighters call it. LCES are the four pillars of safe wildland fire operations. Effective radio communications is not just a tool—it is the glue that integrates these four pillars, and the foundational lifeline that separates successful containment from tragedy. Unlike structural firefighting, wildland operations often occur in remote, rugged terrain where cell service is non-existent, and crews are spread across miles of demanding landscape.
The challenging aspects of this environment—intense smoke, roaring fires, extreme heat, and severe topographical interference—place unique demands on communication technology. Firefighters require robust radio systems, interoperable with multiple agencies, and increasingly augmented by mobile mapping apps.
This presentation will explore the radio systems used to support firefighters and the LCES process in wildland firefighting,
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- Co-sponsored by IEEE-USA MOVE Program
- Starts 21 April 2026 04:00 AM UTC
- Ends 27 May 2026 01:00 AM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Walt Burns of MOVE Operations Driver Manager
Biography:
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Walt Burns is a proud graduate of Va. Tech in Electrical Engineering Technology. He spent most of his career as an IT Network Architect, before jumping over to academia, where he has taught electrical engineering courses as an adjunct professor at Metro State University of Denver for the past 16 years. Walt has over 35 years of experience as a volunteer paramedic and firefighter in Virginia, Maryland and Colorado. As an active ham radio operator he also is a member of the Amateur Radio Emergency Service. Walt has served in several roles as a volunteer with the American Red Cross, particularly as a CPR instructor and with Disaster Services Technology. He is a life senior member of the IEEE, and currently serves as the driver manager for the IEEE MOVE-USA team, which provides power and communications services during large scale disasters. For the past 8 summers Walt has deployed as a Wildland Firefighter Communications Technician. His mission is to provide radio communications to ensure that the hotshots out on the fire line have effective communications for operational safety and situational awareness. Walt lives in Parker, Colorado, just south of Denver.
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