As company officers, our entire career path is spent reacting to and mitigating emergency incidents. Our job is to proactively train, prevent and respond. We tend to think about the current year: our crews’ immediate needs, upcoming community events and the annual training calendar. In general, we know what to expect in our daily-shift lives, and we react daily.

That said, as we progress in our leadership career, each advancement in rank forces us to think a little further into the future. For instance, battalion chiefs and deputy chiefs must consider what programs (and supporting budgets) must be developed in the next couple of years to support firefighters, operations and communities. Fire chiefs no longer have the luxury of just waiting for things to happen nor can they only think 1–2 years out. Modern fire chiefs must consider 7–10 years into the future, despite knowing full well that the plans that they set likely won’t be fully realized in their own personal career. Fire chiefs are as much a steward for their current organization as they are for their future organization. They are called to proactively think about what they must do now to position themselves for the future.

One of the current greatest future challenges is the technological evolution of our cities and communities and how they, too, must evolve.

An ecosystem of technology that’s commonly called smart cities is approaching. Although it isn’t a new concept, just like other aspects of technology, it’s accelerating and has the potential to become another in a long line of disruptive technologies that will make the fire service rethink how it does business.

How a smart department looks

Smart cities are a collection of technologies that are connected, communicating and, in many ways, aiding those who need information to make decisions. This collection includes Internet of Things (IoT) devices, drones, smart buildings, smart vehicles, sensors, cameras, communication systems and, often, artificial intelligence-powered solutions. With the emergence of “air mobility,” such as air taxis, smart cities also are a three-dimensional area that will include automated drones for delivery services, flying vehicles—both commercial and emergency response—and other concepts that are yet to be imagined.

There already are leaps in technology that help departments to gain access to the data that are being generated by smart cities. However, like many other aspects of technology, most departments barely are scratching the surface of what’s out there and available. Computer-aided dispatch, GIS platforms, building management intelligence, dashboards, augmented reality and even smart glasses all are ways that we fully immerse ourselves in this new world.

For many departments, there are limitations that prevent them from fully embracing the new environment that surrounds every aspect of our lives. Whether budget constraints, political indifference, political pressure, tradition or myriad other excuses, department leadership often fails to take a step back to think this far into the future.

Imagine a world that’s overlaid with meta data that’s visible to a responder and smart enough to put the most essential information in front of a decision-maker. Between building sensors, augmented reality and newly developed tools, the future of response that’s connected to smart cities will feel like science fiction come true. This will include real-time access to security systems and building sensor data and finding victims in ways that no longer rely on a panicked person’s recollection of what might be inside of a building. Fire departments that operate in smart cities will have to master situational intelligence and common operating pictures and provide real-time information as citizens begin to expect more.

The table

Chiefs know that the adage “If you aren’t at the table, you are what’s for dinner” is true. That said, why is the fire service great at sitting back, being the strong silent partner and making do with whatever resources that it’s given?

Fire chiefs must make sure that their department is at the table when decisions that are tied to smart cities technology are made. This means removing the fire helmet that’s designed to protect them while they react to emergencies and putting on their more vulnerable thinking cap that’s designed to be part of a strategic urban planner group. By joining this table, it will be easier to find synergy with other aspects of the planning group, to work with, not against, growth and development.

By the way, this will help in more ways than just aspects that are related to smart cities technology. Weighing in on all elements of planning can make life easier for responding crews. By sitting at the table, fire chiefs can advocate for speed cushions with cutouts for response vehicles instead of speed bumps that send the whole crew into the roof or for vehicle preemption systems that help to clear a response path well before an apparatus gets to a busy intersection.

Considering the third dimension of travel space that already is being gobbled up proactively by delivery drones and self-flying transport vehicles, being at the table can pave the path toward direct flight responses and a Drone as First Responder program, to ensure that a department is future-proof.

Another key aspect of the design of smart cities—and another great reason to be part of the planning team—is to stop reacting to where calls are and start planning for where calls will be. This is where smart cities will excel beyond traditional growth management. The data that are collected by current infrastructure can be used to build more accurate models of future growth and expansion opportunities. Armed with geospacial data, fire chiefs can pinpoint station locations, resource demands and other community characteristics that affect current and future deployment models.

Further, don’t forget that disruptive technology, which already is in existence, might change response models completely because roads no longer are a primary path of travel. Even today, a majority of dispatch centers still are police-run—and, therefore, police-centric. This often can cause problems for the fire service. Let this be an example of what will happen if the fire service doesn’t embrace the future and sit at the table now.

Now and tomorrow

Smart cities will continue to develop whether the fire service is at the table or not. Buildings will get smarter, vehicles will gain more autonomy, drones will crowd the airspace above communities, sensors will create data and AI will find solutions. None of this requires our permission. So, pull up a chair and meet with the planners, engineers and technology leaders, because a future fire chief will inherit your decisions today.