FDNY enlists new technology to enhance safety

By Angela Montefinise
The New York Post

NEW YORK — The FDNY wants firefighters to be able to view blueprints of burning buildings before they charge into harm's way.

The blueprints would be available in 3-D and include "appropriate layers of drawings," including stairwells, exits and plumbing placement, according to "Requests for Information and Expressions of Interest" filed by the department in November and again this month.

Under the futuristic plan, the blueprints would be scanned and stored with an identification number in a central database by a technology company. The information would be searchable in a variety of ways — including address, block and lot, and building name — and be accessible through a firehouse computer or even a handheld wireless device like a BlackBerry.

The FDNY wants the technology to "have the capacity to accurately measure ... the distance from any exterior portion of the structure to any interior point, or among multiple interior points," which would allow firefighters to formulate an efficient plan for entering and moving around the building.

FDNY spokesman Tony Sclafani said "several" vendors have responded to the requests. "We are casting a wide net to see what is out there in terms of this technological capability," he said.

The project has been discussed in the past by the Bloomberg administration, which passed a bill in June requiring the Buildings Department to alert the Fire Department when it issues a permit that would change the building's use or certificate of occupancy.

At the time, Mayor Bloomberg said, "This bill will ensure that the brave men and women of the Fire Department will be thoroughly armed with accurate building information, which will improve public safety throughout our city."

"This would help us tremendously," said one FDNY source. "To see where possible pitfalls are and different access points are before we even get inside could save us time. It could also help us see where people could be trapped or where there are weak points."

"The more information we have going in, the better off we are," he added.