PRESS RELEASE
RESTON, Va. — Today, the Center for Public Safety Excellence (CPSE) Center for Innovation (CPSE CFI) released our first publication, a Strategic Scan on Use of and Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Fire and Emergency Service.
Data were gathered in July 2025 with the Strategic Scan detailing the extent of current AI use by fire chiefs and key personnel, specific types of AI use in operations, administration, and training, and concerns with AI use. Fire Chiefs and key personnel were also asked about their comfort using AI, whether they use AI for pre-incident functions, their planned adoption for future use, and whether they have formal departmental policy on AI use and access to AI tools through their authority having jurisdiction.
Using the results, the Strategic Scan proposes five actionable takeaways:
- Pilot Operational AI Use Cases in Low-Risk, High-Impact Areas.
- Expand AI Training and Capacity Building.
- Develop and Implement Formal AI Policies.
- Prioritize Administrative AI Integration to Free-Up Resources for Field Operations.
- Plan for Scalable AI Infrastructure and Tool Access.
“We recruited a panel of progressive, mission-oriented fire chiefs to help us refine Strategic Scan topics, develop survey questions, and interpret the results to best inform practice,” said CPSE CFI Board Vice President Alexander Henderson, Ph.D., CTO, Associate Professor, Marist University. “This technical working group provided critical insights into the challenges and solutions they are facing in their departments, and how we can best take the temperature of the fire and emergency service broadly with impact in mind. We are grateful for their insights and look forward to working with them on future Strategic Scans.”
CPSE launched the CPSE Center for Innovation in 2024 to serve as a catalyst for innovation in the fire and emergency service. As a trusted resource for innovative practices, the CPSE looks forward to giving back to the fire and emergency service through the CPSE CFI. Since our launch, the CPSE CFI has seated our Board of Directors and hired our inaugural Director.
The CPSE CFI’s five program areas, Actionable Research, Expert Finder, Innovation Museum, Innovation Training, and Insight Hub, will highlight innovative solutions developed by Commission on Fire Accreditation International (CFAI) accredited agencies and Commission on Professional Credentialing (CPC) designees and address an industry-wide gap in evidence-based decision making.
The Actionable Research program will include our Strategic Scans, where we ask CFAI-accredited agencies and CPC Chief Fire Officer designees how they are approaching up-and-coming issues.
“The purpose of the Scans are to “pulse check” how organizations are responding, help others avoid blind spots, build shared situational awareness across the fire service, and support preparation for what’s coming” commented CPSE CFI Board President Jim Robinson, CFO, Fire Chief, Greensboro Fire Department, North Carolina.
A special thank you to Marist University, where Dr. Henderson is an Associate Professor.
Download the CPSE CFI Strategic Scan on Use of and Attitudes towards AI in the Fire and Emergency Service here.
About CPSE CFI
The CPSE Center for Innovation serves as a catalyst for innovation in the fire and emergency service. A wholly owned 501 (c)(3) nonprofit subsidiary, CPSE CFI will highlight innovative solutions developed by CPSE-accredited agencies and credentialed professionals and address an industry-wide gap in evidence-based decision making. Learn more at https://innovationcpse.org