Technology enables the fire service to access data to improve firefighter safety and service delivery in many ways.

Incident commanders can now monitor personnel’s location and wellness because of microchips and sensors in personal protective equipment (PPE) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA). These innovations have far-reaching advantages, but the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF) brought together a cross-section of the fire service to see if it is leveraging current technology while planning for the future.

The NFFF recently released the report from the 2016 Fire Service Technology Summit. 

“The attendees, with vastly different perspectives on technology, focused on understanding how rapidly developing tools have the potential to improve our capabilities on the fireground, as well as impact firefighter health and safety,” said Dr. Gavin Horn, research program director for the Illinois Fire Service Institute.

Highlights from the summit include:

1. Recommend technological advancements that the fire service can use to decrease the risk of firefighter injuries and fatalities.
2. The fire service should play a pro-active role in collaborating with manufacturers in creating new technology.
3. Identify methods to inform, educate and train firefighters in existing technologies.
4. Identify mechanisms for the technology industry to collaborate with the fire service in the transfer of emerging technologies to fire service use.
5. Establish potential diverse funding opportunities to meet the identified technological needs of the fire service.