A question posted recently on Quora asked, “Can a firefighter’s job be replaced by technology?” Zach Boyd, a firefighter engineer, gave his opinion on the topic below. Check it out and add your own thoughts in the comments.
We could not reasonably replace firefighters with technology.
What firefighters bring to the table is more important than the ability to squirt water. It is the ability to problem solve. Suppose your house is equipped with a whole house sprinkler system that should protect it from any form of fire. How does that system account for an interruption in water services? Or a sudden pressure or volume loss due to a spike in demand? The redundancies in automated systems needed to provide adequate protection would be so complicated as to be cost prohibitive to most people.
Besides, the fire service does more than squirt water. They do vehicle extrications, business inspections, medical aids, good will calls — the list goes on.
The complexities of the modern fire service require the human touch. Automated systems (including robots) are of great usefulness in limiting loss of life and property, but are not a silver bullet.
