After leaving Charleston, SC, last month when FireFusion Conference wrapped up, it struck me that technology is the new thing “it” thing in the fire service. The discussions, products and sessions focused on how integration is moving quickly in many aspects.
Every era of the modern fire service has had its spotlight moment. The 1970s ushered in the birth of EMS and firefighters providing medical care, whether they responded on an ambulance or fire apparatus. The 1980s dialed in on hazardous materials after several large-scale incidents. In the ’90s, instructors, such as Andy Fredericks and John Salka, created a fire service culture that focused on back-to-the-basics: stretching lines, placing ladders and lost skills for the “routine fire.”
After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, training shifted, as terrorism and weapons of mass destruction forced a new operational mindset. It was followed by large-scale incident management and a resurgence in technical rescue operations, followed by fire behavior that was based on UL FSRI studies.
Today, technology has been applied to the areas above that have become operational norms for the fire service. High-tech, multifunction monitors (see more on page 20) and access to databases have moved hazmat operations along and made them much safer. Back-to-basics skills can be picked up on YouTube with dozens of variations. EMS technology has evolved hundredfold since Johnny and Roy used the Biophone to talk to Rampart and send an EKG strip to Rampart Hospital in the TV show “Emergency!”
Born from any mission is innovation. Today’s innovations very often are driven by technology in the form of chip- or cloud-based evolution with some type of artificial intelligence-driven methodology.
In the opening ceremony at FireFusion, Fire Chief Dan Munsey spoke of the importance for departments to get involved with the Smart Cities efforts, to allow departments to become engaged and collect data across a broad spectrum to help them to have access to building intelligence, traffic, historical data and other data that are critical to fire department responses.
Closing out the conference, Chief John Oates began with shocking statistics: that the heart rate of some of those in the room hadn’t dropped in the time since they had walked over from the hotel, and that others had very little sleep throughout the course of the night—all tracked by smart devices on the body.
Those sessions bookended classes and mealtime discussions about incident command, report writing, 9-1-1 and CAD integrations, and the National Emergency Response Information System (NERIS). The ability to use technology in every level of training, from live, remote training that’s streamed, to inputting training records, to creating reports on training-deficient areas, can bolster a firefighter’s skills or a company’s capabilities.
With accountability tied to every taxpayer dollar spent or every operational decision, chiefs and community leaders must show measurable impact and that data collection is a primary driver of those decisions, to increase funds for equipment or personnel. Going to a meeting without verified charts, one chief said, is a recipe for disaster and a failure to secure your requests.
Technology has officially become that next evolution. It isn’t optional; it’s operational.
Station Design Awards
I would like to thank all of those who were involved with the 12th annual Station Design Awards, which you can find beginning on page 35. This year’s awards program is the largest to date, showcasing innovative fire stations from 26 states.
The commitment from those involved to build a station where three or more generations of the fire service will work is depicted through the array of photographs and detailed write-ups of all of the stations that were submitted. With an ongoing dedication to firefighter health and safety, new options focused on electric vehicles, training and the use of low-maintenance materials, with varying land challenges, from space to traffic concerns.
Great fire station projects travel a long journey from the first sketch on a napkin (or finger movements on a tech-savvy user’s tablet) to the hose-cutting celebration. Join us in Reno, NV, next May for the Station Design Conference, where you can get the insights for your department’s next home away from home.
