RFID played essential role during Alberta wildfires, says Suncor VP

When last year’s ferocious Alberta wildfire threatened Suncor Energy’s oilsands upgrader near Fort McMurray, the rush to safely remove hundreds from the area provided a rare large-scale test of technology that can let companies know the location of every single worker. RFID played essential role during Alberta wildfires, says Suncor VP. The evacuation highlighted how radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology — long used to track products in warehouses, equipment in mines and even cattle in feedlots — is increasingly being used to monitor workers on big Canadian industrial sites.