SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- A Northern California fire department is using technology that helps dispatchers keep an "eye" on firefighters and their equipment.

Santa Rosa's fire department uses the same type of technology as global positioning systems, or GPS. It lets dispatchers watch a screen and keep track of every fire truck's every move.

Every time Santa Rosa Engine No. 3 leaves its station, every time it arrives on scene for a house fire or car accident and every time it turns a corner or comes to a stop, someone at central dispatch could be watching.

"I can just double click on a unit and see where they're at. I don't have to ask them," said dispatch supervisor Dave Bertrand.

For the past year, all 40 engines, cars and ambulances in the department have been equipped with small disk-shaped antennas called automatic vehicle locators, or AVLs, which uses satellites in space to determine the vehicle's position within 10 feet. It then sends a signal back to headquarters and shows up as an icon on dispatchers' computer screens.

The department says the main reason for AVLs is to improve response time. Instead of simply calling out the crew whose station is nearest an incident, dispatchers can see if there might be an even closer crew passing nearby.

"It can make a two-, three-, four-minute difference in response time to an emergency (and), at times, get the closest unit. And that has a big factor in life saving," said Bart Lewis.

AVLs help save lives and increase firefighter accountability, according to officials. Dispatchers no longer rely on radio reports about where crews are. They see for themselves.

Retired California fire marshal Ron Coleman predicts that, sooner or later, all but the smallest departments in the state will use AVL systems.

"What it does is it provides the leadership and management of the organization with a mechanism of accountability. And it makes it much more difficult for someone to pull a stunt," Coleman said.

Technically, officials say, it is possible to hide from the system. Many firefighters at the Santa Rosa department seemed to have gotten used to being constantly watched.

"As far as any change, I think everybody's always reluctant. But I think over the period of time, people have grown used to it. They've become accustomed to it, and they're actually seeing the benefits for it," said firefighter Mike McGahan.

AVLs are not cheap. Equipping each vehicle costs about $15,000.

The next generation of the technology is expected to go even further, allowing departments to track individual firefighters.