There has been no shortage of innovations within the fire service over the last several decades, and if the past is any indication of the future, the next few decades will uncover even more exciting opportunities. Technology advancements have helped firefighters stay safe, become more efficient and improve their level of preparedness, but what else is on the horizon? These emerging trends can play critical roles in the fire service now and, as they are further enhanced in the coming years, may completely change some aspects of the job – for the better.
Integrating drones as first responders
Emergency call centers do their best to obtain as much information as possible before dispatching fire crews to a scene, yet in some instances, responders can still be surprised when they finally arrive. Using drones as first responders (DFRs) can alleviate some of the unknown and increase situational awareness from the moment a call comes in.
“It’s really changing the way departments respond to every emergency,” said TJ Kennedy, a public safety professional with decades of experience, ranging from former captain of Park City Fire District in Park City, Utah, to previous president at FirstNet. “Good DFR programs have multiple rooftops of drones available, and they can respond to any call in a jurisdiction in 30 to 90 seconds. They can get there before any apparatus arrives on scene. They can give them real-time video, audio and data of the weather, the incident, the number of cars involved, the number of injuries involved – whatever the emergency might be.”
Dispatching a drone before crews arrive can help more quickly determine what resources need to be deployed and can save time in critical situations. Imagine a serious accident has occurred and an aeromedical crew needs to transport a patient. Drones can aid in locating a landing zone for the helicopter far more efficiently than someone driving around looking for a space or relying on others’ knowledge of the area.
While a heavy emphasis within DFR programs is placed on using drones before crews arrive, they can be equally beneficial while working a scene. Drones can assess hazards and building structure concerns far more efficiently without putting firefighters at risk or even locate victims in hard-to-reach areas.
Smaller fire agencies might believe DFR programs are out of their reach – both from a financial and personnel standpoint – but Kennedy says taking a collaborative approach that integrates local operations centers can help.
“I do see this as being regional – not every department needs its own DFR program,” he explained. “Maybe they partner with police and EMS agencies in the same city or same county. If you have real-time DFR programs and a visualization of every major incident going on in your city, high-level decision makers might do better to be in a central location like an ops center and not always on scene.”
Ensuring interoperability and security within AI solutions
New fire service solutions are rolling out rapidly, and keeping up with technology can make agencies feel like they’re always one step behind, particularly when it comes to integrating the new with the old. Some legacy systems still serve departments well, but when an upgrade is required, it can create interoperability challenges.
Agencies are often trying to place next-generation technologies inside a space that is typically built for an older world, describes James Mitchell, a consultant in the public safety space and special advisor to Sourcewell, a service cooperative that aids public safety agencies in procurement. A variety of tech solutions bring digital platforms that visually display data yet often don’t “play nice” with analog systems that are already in place.
“You have both legacy vendors and newer vendors coming into the space and sometimes they’re just competing for screen real estate as opposed to actual business,” Mitchell said. “There are two sides to it – we have really cool new technology to do interesting things in public safety, but how can public safety ingest that technology in a way that’s beneficial both to their mission and to the person making an emergency call? And then how do we help agencies navigate that space without essentially breaking things?”
Whether departments are gleaning the benefits of increased situational awareness thanks to AI-assisted dispatch programs or can better tackle wildfires thanks to advanced detection systems, each new solution needs to safeguard against bad actors.
“Protecting all of that data is really important,” said Mitchell. “Agencies need to evaluate their cybersecurity status and determine what threats are there from a cyber perspective that all these new technologies bring to that space. It’s a delicate balance.”
Another part of this balance is ensuring adequate training during and after integrating new solutions.
“Have the people that are going to be using the new technology test it and have them get comfortable with it so that it becomes part of their new workflow,” advised Victoria Lee, a public safety technology consultant supporting Sourcewell’s public safety team. “You want to make sure they understand what it will do and how it will help them.”
Using VR to strengthen skills and stay connected
While it’s impossible to conduct real-time training for every type of scenario fire crews might ever encounter, the use of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) can help departments stay more prepared. Instead of talking through a high-stakes situation, firefighters can immerse themselves in a VR/AR environment that feels quite real.
“There are a few things I like about VR and a live motion training environment,” said Kennedy. “Physical reactions like heart rate, blood pressure, pulse, perspiration – those things go up as they have a real-world reaction to what is happening in 3D. It’s good because you can be put into a lot of life-threatening situations that are very hard to train for. Just think of a firefighter who is afraid of heights. You can put them in a ladder truck 105 feet up and you can make that feel pretty realistic.”
Prototypes are already in place for helmets that include a VR/AR component, offering enhanced visual capabilities and ways to track location or SCBA status. A common concern with this and other technologies, however, is how it will function in areas with limited connectivity. Thankfully, advances in this area are making wider use of technology solutions a possibility.
“The advent of satellite technology and being able to extend the range of first responders so they continue to have connectivity even when they’re far from fixed infrastructure can bring access no matter where they are,” said Lee.
How to capitalize on new tech
It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the quantity of solutions available in the fire service, but agencies don’t have to spend hours sifting through information to find the tech solutions that will best meet their needs. Sourcewell helps to streamline the procurement process with competitively solicited and awarded contracts for numerous technology platforms and solutions.
Rather than guessing if one of these tech trends will benefit your department, Sourcewell aims to offer peace of mind to agencies adopting new solutions.
“We want to make sure that when we’re bringing vendors into the public safety space, no matter how innovative the solution, that they’re working together with other technology solutions to solve the interoperability issue,” said Mitchell. “We want to get it into the hands of the responder in a way that encourages adoption. There needs to be a value proposition that’s realized fairly quickly or they’re not going to use it.”
Visit Sourcewell for more information.
