Colorado Releases Life-Saving Technology Free to All Public Safety Agencies

Introducing the Colorado Team Awareness Kit (COTAK), a free real-time location-based service for Colorado public safety agencies. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

RIFLE, COLO. — (October 1, 2024) — The Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting (CoE), a section of Colorado's Division of Fire Prevention and Control (DFPC), announces the launch of its new real-time location-based service, the Colorado Team Awareness Kit (COTAK™). COTAK™ offers Colorado public safety agencies a free of charge solution that provides up-to-the-second location information of team members and other important mission information, improving team coordination, situational awareness, and safety.

• The U.S. Department of Defense originally created the Team Awareness Kit (TAK) software to assist military forces with situational awareness on the battlefield. "Colorado identified an opportunity to adapt the TAK software for use in public safety back in 2016. Since then, we have been developing the software as an innovative way to improve emergency responder collaboration," shared Brad Schmidt, CoE Deputy Director of Spatial Technologies and COTAK Program Leader.

Colorado public safety agencies can access COTAK by downloading the TAK app on any smartphone or tablet and requesting access to the COTAK service. COTAK includes advanced features that are customizable to meet the specific needs of fire, law enforcement, search and rescue, and other public safety agencies. "Having access to this kind of intelligence on a device that emergency responders already carry (a smartphone) is a game changer. We are providing public safety personnel with additional tools to enhance the efficiency, effectiveness, and safety of their jobs," shared Schmidt. 

Key features of COTAK include:

Real-Time Location Information: Using dots on a map, emergency responders can locate themselves, their team members, and other COTAK agencies in real time.

Enhanced Team Coordination: COTAK enhances operational efficiency for emergency responders by sharing incident information with all relevant agencies, a crucial benefit during mutual aid incidents.

Improved Situational Awareness: Users can access real-time location intelligence and other critical incident information, such as maps of active wildfires, providing responders with the data they need to react with speed and efficiency in emergencies.

The CoE has provided early access to COTAK for over 140 agencies. Currently, there are more than 1,900 users, and the technology is now being offered to all Colorado public safety agencies. "We are proud to lead the charge in innovative public safety technology and know that COTAK will save lives. Knowing where your people are on any given shift or large-scale incident could make all the difference in the outcome," stated CoE Director Ben Miller. COTAK is provided at no cost to all public safety agencies in Colorado. New agencies may sign up for COTAK access at cotak.gov. 

# # #

About the Center of Excellence

Formed in 2014, the Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting is a research and development organization within the Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control. The Center of Excellence is dedicated to bringing the technology of the future to the fireground of today. For more information, visit cofiretech.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and LinkedIn.