In this episode of Tech Talk Tuesday, we explore how two leading fire departments are using wearables and data dashboards to transform firefighter health and operational strategy.
- Assistant Chief Mike Binney of West Metro Fire shares the real-world impact of biometric tracking, ethical data use, and firefighter-first policies born from his Yale capstone project.
- Data Analytics Manager John Morrison from Fairfax County dives into data feedback loops, year-in-review reports, and analytics-driven decision-making for training and policy.
From Wu-Tang references to sleep tracking, this is a lively and deeply insightful conversation on tech, trust and innovation in the fire service.
Key takeaways:
✅ Firefighter-First Tech Integration: Both West Metro and Fairfax County focus on integrating wearables and dashboards in ways that empower and protect responders without violating trust.
✅ Ethical Data Management: West Metro’s biometric project involved union-owned data, IRB approval and clear consent protocols to address privacy and buy-in concerns.
✅ Operational Data Feedback Loops: Fairfax County uses Spotify-style yearly summaries and on-scene data collection to improve report accuracy, training focus, and transparency.
✅ Culture Drives Innovation: Successful tech adoption hinges on station-level champions, collaborative leadership, and framing tools as wellness assets, not surveillance.
