Smart Firefighting

Kevin sits down with Stephen Kerber, Vice President of UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute. Together they discuss the role of UL in the fire industry, different research campaigns UL is involved in, benefits and limitations of technology, evolving fire standards, the challenges of training around the new NFPA 1403 training standards, the false sense of security technology sometimes creates, and more. UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) advances fire research knowledge and develops cutting edge, practical fire service education aimed at helping firefighters stay safe while more effectively protecting people and property. Working in partnership with the fire service, research departments, and agencies, UL FSRI executes firefighter research and makes the results widely available to the global fire community. With a team of pioneering experts and access to UL’s leading infrastructure, equipment, and vast knowledge and insights, UL FSRI conducts and disseminates research and training programs focu

Kevin sits down with Paul Speight, Paul is the Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Watch Manager. Paul works with emerging technologies such as virtual reality and 360 photography. In this episode they discuss Immersive learning training using 360 videos, the environmental, cost, and health benefits of virtual training. They also dive into interactive photorealistic training for arson investigation, and the case study of Leicestershire’s fire service using VIVE. #VR #VirtualReality #VIVE #360Video #virtualtraining

Kevin sits down with Chief Dan Munsey to talk about technology and where it is leading us. Are we leading technology or following it? How is the next generation of firefighters using this technology? What can a departments leadership do to encourage sustainable technology adoption? All this and more on this episode of the Smart Firefighting Podcast.

Kevin and Mike shake up their podcast format to bring you their personal experiences at CES, which includes deepfakes, 360 videos, drones, and more. They talk about recent news in the fire industry, including a partnership between Haas Alert and Pierce. They dive into what they are looking forward to this year and more on this episode of the Smart Firefighting Podcast. To contact Kevin Sofen email KevinSofen@Darley.com and Mike Mocerino at MikeMocerino@Darley.com

Kevin sits down with Joshua Pruitt of Drone Sense to talk about soft ware options for a departments drone program. They discuss Drone Sense and the features they provide to make maintaining a drone program easier. DroneSense is a comprehensive solution that empowers public safety organizations to build, manage, and scale its drone program. DroneSense have partnered with first responders from day one to design a mission-critical software platform that enables you to leverage the full capabilities of drones in first responder operations. Whether departments have already obtained a few drones, or are contemplating how to start a program, DroneSense can help departments become fully operational. If you want to learn more about Drone Sense visit their website here.

Kevin sits down with Brian Murray and Mark Scott of The Hickory Fire Department. They discuss how pre-incident planning has changed over the years from 3-ring binders and handwritten notes to modern computer programs that gather and store data. Brian and Mark talk about how user-friendly their programs have been and how invaluable they are to get the job done. They discuss the need for fire departments to embrace technology and continue to push for better and safer solutions. Brian and Mark imagine pre-incident planning evolving into heads up displays with updating real-time information. The future is bright for technology in the fire industry, and firefighters are ready for it. The Hickory Fire Department's goal is to prevent fires, save lives and property, and protect the environment. They are always looking for ways to improve their training and planning processes this makes them flexible in bringing on new technologies. The Hickory Fire Department strives toward improvement and listening to the needs of t

At FRI, Kevin had a chance to sit down with Bart van Leeuwen CEO of Netage B.V. In this episode, Kevin and Bart discuss data in the fire industry and using it in real-time. Bart believes that getting the right information to first responders is more important than giving all the information available. Bart describes the challenge of data management of first responders. The data is available, but getting it to first responders in real-time is the real challenge. Bart talks about focusing on the data needs of first responders instead of just creating an app or program that gives every little bit of information available. Netage B.V. uses smart data to prevent first responders from getting injured. Their knowledge graph prioritizes incident information from closed and open datasets linked in 20+ databases. Role-based information distribution drives business innovation for fire departments. Fire activity data combined with smart city data is providing fire departments a path into the future. Netage B.V. uses inno

At FRI, Kevin had a chance to sit down with Divy Shrivastava of Paladin Drones. In this episode, Kevin and Divy talk about the need for greater situational awareness for first responders and how Paladin Drones has a solution to answer that need. 70% of the time, first responders do not know an emergency's exact location. On top of that, they know almost no details about the situation until after they've arrived on scene. Paladin Drones built a simple system to give first responders instant situational awareness. Seconds after a 911 call comes in, our software automatically dispatches a drone to the scene of the emergency, and streams a live video feed back to our app. Their software handles everything else in the background: security, safety, weather, video, route planning, and more. This way, you can focus on saving lives.

At FRI, Kevin had a chance to sit down with Paige Day of E.M.I.L.Y Robot. In this episode, Kevin and Paige discuss water rescue and how drones designed to be used in water can save lives without putting first responders at risk. With much of the talk on Drones, often the water robotics get lost in translation. The EMILY water robot is being deployed across the world and bringing widespread value to people around the world. EMILY offers an interoperable water platform that gives fire responders a unique tool that helps extend life-saving services. EMILY helps with all things hurricane response in the Bahamas, humanitarian assistance in Italy, Swift Water Rescue across the Great Lakes Find out on this episode of the Smart Firefighting podcast.

At FRI, Kevin had a chance to sit down with Douglas Baily of Levrum Data Technologies. In this episode, Kevin and Doug discuss data technology for first responders and how it is collected, stored, and used. Kevin asks the questions. How can we visualize data and turn it into action? How can first responders make better decisions during an incident? How can decision-makers be better informed on how to use their budget and use data to improve staffing? Find out on this episode of the Smart Firefighting podcast.

At FRI Kevin had a chance to sit down with Jeff Powell of Autel Robotics. In this episode, Kevin and Jeff discuss the drone industry and the benefits Autel offers first responders. Autel Robotics is a US-headquartered drone manufacturer. They offer a wide range of platforms from fixed-wing, quadcopter, VTOL. They are dedicated to delivering ground-breaking solutions for new aerial exploration through our market-leading quadcopter and camera drone technology.

At FRI Kevin had a chance to sit down with Matt Sloan of SkyFire Consulting. They discuss the difference between owning a drone and owning a drone program. They also dive into what SkyFire does to help fire departments take their program to the next level; on this episode of the Smart Firefighting Podcast. SkyFire Consulting is an organization that trains first responders in drone operation. They work with departments to understand their needs and create a program that will work for them. Departments need to follow FAA rules and regulations when setting up their drone program. Skyfire walks departments through the certification process and training necessary to be safe and effective.

Kevin sits down with John Tippett of the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation to talk about the history of the foundation, the 16 firefighter lifesaving initiatives, and innovations changing the fire services. The National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is an organization whose mission is to honor and remember America’s fallen fire heroes, to provide resources to assist their families in rebuilding their lives and work within the fire service community to reduce firefighter deaths and injuries. The NFFF provides scholarship programs, wellness conferences, remembrance programs and more. We encourage people to attend the Fire Service Innovation Safety Symposium in Philadelphia on September 24-26. Special discount for all listeners, use the word “SMART” for free entrance to the symposium.

At FRI Kevin had a chance to sit down with Brett Skinner and Zach Braun of FireHUD to talk about their biotrac platform. FireHUD uses a passive system that monitors and collects physiological data from its users to track their biometric status. Firefighters exert themselves more than any other profession. Their physical and mental condition is critical to their success. BioTrac Platform collects the data and transfers it in real-time to the commander’s device. The commander can use the data to know the exhaustion level of each member of their team and make better-informed decisions.

At FRI Kevin had a chance to sit down with Michael Varney of FirstNet. They discuss how data is changing the public safety industry and how FirstNet is helping push this evolution. The mission of FirstNet is to deploy, operate, maintain, and improve the first high-speed, nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety.

The Responder X Live event in Chicago brought industry leaders from the public safety market together to see and interact with the technology of tomorrow. First-Due re-thinks pre-incident planning by collecting, analyzing, and formatting occupancy data. First Due is an application that brings critical fire service-related data to firefighters on their way to a call. The application connects online and offline sources to create a summary of the important information about the scene. First Due goes a step further and displays the information in an easy to read format. Firefighters don’t have a lot of time to make decisions so being able to get all the necessary information about a scene in a quick readout will help improve efficiency and safety. Properly sizing up a scene saves lives. Firefighters spend years training and practicing how to properly size-up fires. First Due won’t replace that training, but it will convey the information they need in an easy to read format. This application will help give the fir

The Responder X Live event in Chicago brought industry leaders from the public safety market together to see and interact with the technology of tomorrow. Wi-Fiber is a network solutions company providing innovative and flexible products to strengthen a cities network infrastructure. Wi-Fiber creates decentralized wifi hubs for a city’s municipalities to connect. First responders rely on the network to coordinate with one another any disruption could put people at risk. Wi-Fiber hubs are incredibly resilient if one of them goes offline from a power outage or damage the other connected hubs will continue to be active. To learn more about Wi-Fiber visit http://wi-fiber.us/ Kevin sits down with Adair Grover founder of Wi-Fiber at the Responder X Live event in Chicago IL. They discuss what Wi-Fiber can do for first responders and the cities and towns they serve, on this episode of the Smart Firefighting Podcast.

Kevin sits down with CEO of Responder Ventures Bryce Stritiron. They discuss Responder X Live, what attendees can expect to see, and what they hope to achieve at the event. Responder X Labs has teamed up with Amazon web services, W.S. Darley, Verizon, and other industry leaders to showcase the next generation of technology for the first responder industry. The event will allow public safety members an opportunity to experience these technologies and give feedback. Responder X Live will feature demos from some of the most innovative technology companies working in the first responder industry, including Rapidsos, 3am, Wi-Fiber, Haas Alert, and more. Demos are not limited to a specific time, so there is no need to worry about scheduling for a specific time. The Protector Award will be given out at the event. It recognizes the first responders who embrace technology to protect our communities. The awardees will share their stories of how adopting innovative technologies has helped them save lives and protect t

Chief Dan Munsey is Assistant Fire Chief of San Bernardino Fire Protection district, the California Fire Chiefs Association Operations section president, and part of the IAFC technology council. Dan has decades of experience in the fire industry. He has seen the evolution of data in the fire industry and how much things have changed and haven’t changed over the years. Everyone in the fire industry knows there is a necessity to implement data into their planning and training, but refining the information is a major challenge in the industry. One common thing Dan has noticed in his career is how much data is available to them. It is great to have all this information, but unless the data is refined and presented in a way to be used; it will fall to the wayside. Another problem is information overload. With so much data being poured onto firefighters, decision-makers don’t know where to start and instead fall back on old processes. Technology and innovation are driving forces behind change in the fire industry.

Squishy Robotics is a company that designs robots from tensegrity structures. These robots are light-weight, low cost, and robust, capable of surviving large impacts while carrying a payload. Squishy Robotics hopes their shape-shifting robots will inspire researchers and push the boundaries of our technological advancement. Squishy Robotics was funded through a small business innovation research grant. The groups shape-shifting robots were originally designed to be dropped from a spacecraft, in order to explore distant planets. The tensegrity structure reduces the impact from a massive fall and allows it to traverse uneven and problematic terrain. After their initial debut, it became clear the robots could be used for more than just space exploration. When first responders face a potential hazmat situation, they will often make decisions based around imperfect situational awareness. A fallen structure will often pose unforeseen dangers such as broken gas lines, or chemical seepage. While we have sensors to l