When emergency operations move quickly, communications infrastructure must move just as fast.
In August 2026, Disaster Tech Lab (DTL) deployed to Spa-La Sauvenière Airport in Belgium to support the response to the largest wildfire in Belgian history, burning through the Hautes Fagnes / High Fens region. Belgian Civil Defense had established the airport as the base for aerial firefighting operations, but the site had no serviceable internet connection for the teams coordinating aircraft and flight crews.
From Request to Deployment
Belgian Civil Defense asked DTL to assist, and we deployed a three-person team to the airport the same day. Working with the Civil Defense liaison officer, we identified two areas that needed reliable Wi-Fi coverage: the Operations room and the flight crew Team room.
Our objective was simple: establish a secure, reliable network as quickly as possible.
We set up upstream connectivity using two satellite terminals positioned to serve opposite sides of the facility, then installed Cambium Networks Wi-Fi access points in each operational room. Each room had its own SSID and encrypted login credentials, which were handed directly to the Civil Defense liaison officer.
The Cambium APs provided the final link between the backhaul connection and the people who needed it. In an emergency deployment, getting connectivity to a building is only part of the job. Responders need reliable Wi-Fi where they are actually working.
A Working Network in Around Two Hours
From our arrival at the airport to a working network took around two hours. Once it was live, flight crews and operations personnel tested the service and recorded connection speeds of up to 200 Mbps, a significant improvement for a facility that previously had no reliable internet connection.
In this kind of environment, equipment needs to be quick to deploy, simple to configure and dependable in operation. The Cambium APs allowed us to turn the available backhaul into dedicated wireless networks for the two teams without requiring a complex onsite network build. Separate SSIDs and encrypted credentials also provided appropriate separation between the operational areas.
Connectivity as Part of the Response
At Spa-La Sauvenière Airport, the building was serving as both the aerial firefighting operations center and the flight crew team room while helicopters and other firefighting aircraft operated from the airfield. The teams inside needed connectivity they could simply use, without having to spend time troubleshooting the network.
That is the role DTL aims to fill. We deploy the communications infrastructure, secure it, and keep it running so responders can focus on the operation itself.
The network will remain in place for as long as it is needed, with DTL personnel remotely monitoring quality of service while air operations continue.
Built for Environments Where Connectivity Cannot Wait
Disaster Tech Lab specializes in rapidly deployable and offline-capable communications for humanitarian and emergency response operations. Every deployment is different, but the requirement is consistent: technology needs to be deployed quickly and work reliably once it is in the hands of responders.
At Spa-La Sauvenière Airport, Cambium APs were a key part of a solution that turned a site with no serviceable internet into a connected operational environment in approximately two hours. For emergency response teams, that means one less obstacle between them and the job they need to do.