Early Days
MAPS began in 2005 with six volunteers who joined the local volunteer bush fire service (RFS - Rural Fire Service) in both Canberra and across the territory border in nearby Queanbeyan. They began training with the RFS as rural fire fighters and at the same time developed protocols and training for mapping volunteers.
The first MAPS Standup was on Tuesday 10 October 2006, to observe the operations of the ESA Fire Control Centre during over the Total Fire Ban days expected on the the following Thursday and Friday.
The first MAPS Deployment was on Friday 15 and Saturday 16 December 2006 to provide Mapping Support for the Bollo fire at Tumut.
In December 2007, a letter was sent to each member of the Spatial Sciences Institute, ACT Chapter (SSI-ACT) inviting them to attend a MAPS information session on 15 January 2008 then become a MAP volunteer.
The first MAPS training session was held on Saturday 23 February 2008 at ACT Emergency Services Agency, 123 Carruthers St Curtin.