A network for the incident.
A portable kit for incident command. Satellite up, a managed network on site, and phones that still work with little or no cell service when Wi-Fi Calling is enabled. Separate Wi-Fi for IMT, crew, and other agencies. A mast or a non-permanent mount, stood up at the command post and taken down when the incident is. Coverage scales with the camp — more access points, and a link between them, when one location is not enough.
The network comes first.
A portable kit puts a working connection on site — before anyone needs a map, a server, or anything else. Everything downstream depends on this going up first.
Uplink
Satellite on a mast or a non-permanent mount. Online wherever the panel has a clear view of the sky, failing over to local cell service where it exists.
A network people can actually use
Separate Wi-Fi lanes for IMT, crew, and other agencies — not one open name for the whole camp. Personal phones ride the same network, so crew can check in with family when cell service is thin or gone. The network also supports PTT-over-cellular apps like WAVE PTX, if the agency already uses them.
One picture, on site.
The kit carries a local TAK server. ATAK and WinTAK connect on site with no cloud service in between, and live data layers update over the satellite link.
Fire
NOAA NGFS satellite detections, scanned every few minutes from geostationary orbit, fill the gaps between NASA FIRMS passes. Incident points and status from IRWIN, official perimeters from WFIGS, and resource counts where reported. One fire picture, not four maps.
Lightning
Lightning flashes from NOAA’s GOES-West satellite, refreshed every 20 seconds, filtered to your region. Each strike carries its time and energy and stays on the map for 20 minutes, so you can see where a storm is and which way it’s moving: lightning over the ridge, tracking northeast. Shows where new starts are most likely, and whether a cell is heading toward camp or the helibase.
Weather
Idaho NWS alerts with the full warning text, red flags highlighted, every 5 minutes. Idaho RAWS stations report wind, humidity, and fuel moisture, and nine regional airports report METAR for air ops, both every 15 minutes. Air quality from AirNow stations, and SPC mesoscale discussions when one is in effect. All of it on the same picture as the fire.
Aircraft
The kit’s own ADS-B receiver puts every aircraft it hears on the map, updated every 2 seconds and labeled by callsign and type. Known air tankers, SEATs, air attack, and firefighting helicopters get their own fire icons, so they stand out from commercial traffic.
Cameras
39 ALERTWest lookout cameras across Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, each with a PTZ image and a wide panorama refreshed every 2 minutes, plus a curated set of Idaho highway cameras every 5 minutes. Images arrive in ATAK automatically, with no separate app or logins.
Road & access conditions
Idaho 511 closures, crashes, and work zones on the map every 5 minutes, with ITD’s detour instructions and traffic-control contacts where listed. All 32 mountain passes carry current road and weather readings, so you can check highway access before a crew moves.
Utility outages
Idaho Power outages on the map every 5 minutes, color-coded by customers affected, with cause, start time, and estimated restoration where Idaho Power lists them. See which communities near the incident are without power.
Stream gauges
Ten river and reservoir gauges in the Wood River and Magic Valley area, plus the Snake River at American Falls, refreshed every 15 minutes with stage and flow. Markers change color against NWS flood-stage thresholds where they’re published, so rising water is easy to spot.
Off-grid mesh
Meshtastic nodes keep the crew’s positions and short messages moving past the edge of Wi-Fi, with no cell or satellite link.