Abstract: In the research on target tracking, lots of experimental results illustrated that the particle filter algorithm is imperfect to the moving target of which the trajectory changes complexly. The AVRPF (adaptive variable rate particle filter) algorithm is proposed instead of VRPF (variable rate particle filter) algorithm in regard to the rescue system for large-scale building during disaster, with the wireless sensor network technology applied to the system. The AVRPF can adaptively adjust the sampling period by comparing the relationships between the particle value and measured value at a certain moment to improve the tracking accuracy for complex moving target, especially the moving trajectory changes dramatically. The simulation results showed that the tracking algorithm is effective and practical.