Smart Firefighting

Wi-fiber is a company that creates network solutions for municipalities. Their organization focuses on finding innovative solutions to create private networks. They excel at creating plug and play networks that can be connected with additional nodes. One impressive advantage is that the system doesn’t require additional fiber past the first node. At CES 2018 in Las Vegas Wi-Fiber transformed the city’s lampposts into smart hubs. The hubs created a web giving wireless access to the city’s fiber net. The nodes integrated into the lamp post were autonomous. This autonomy makes the network decentralized. A benefit of a decentralized network is that it can continue to operate when one or more of the nodes lose power. Wi-Fiber’s technology is a platform, that can be used by cities to create and manage their own software. One benefit that cities can get behind is the cost savings. Laying fiber is an expensive task. Wi-Fiber’s hubs costs, on the other hand, is far easier to manage. The hubs don’t require additional

Lumkani is a company that provides fire detection devices to informal settlements. The company’s fire detector is specifically designed to monitor informal settlements for rises in temperature. Millions of Rands of damage has been saved by these devices. The device was first conceived as a solution to problems with using standard fire detection systems in informal settlements. Most fire detectors monitor smoke and sound an alarm when the smoke has built up. Unfortunately, this causes many false alarms as these settlements tend to produce a lot of smoke. The Lumkani Fire Alarm measures rise in temperature, which greatly reduced the number of false alarms caused by smoke. Another feature added was a transmitter and responder. Informal settlements are built on top of each other leaving little space between each home. In the event of a fire, a neighbor is in just as much danger as the resident. By transmitting the alarm to the surrounding detectors, the community can react and put out the fire before it become

Drones have become more accessible and affordable, which has led to first responders gaining a drone program. More than ever disaster response teams are using these drones to map the disaster area. Scholar Farms is a drone training company that trains industry professionals to use data collected from UAVs. Dr. Gregory Crutsinger worked in the ecology field when he became inspired by drones. He worked for leading drone hardware and software companies before founding Scholar Farms. Shortly after starting Scholar Farms Califonia was ravaged by a series of wildfires. Greg volunteered as a drone data analyst to show how useful mapping the aftermath is to start rebuilding. When people think about drones in disaster response, they think of a drone with a live feed camera. Scholar Farms wants to show first responders the other ways drones can aide the team. Drones can be used to take pictures and map an area. The pictures can then be stitched together to create a map of the area. These maps can be geo-mapped so that

Kevin and Mike sit down to talk about 2019 Under Fire event in Texas. Under Fire is an event in the fire industry for emerging technology, first responders, and vendors. Sponsored by Texas A&M Engineering Under Fire gives an opportunity for startups to showcase their new technology to an audience of first responders. The first day of Under Fire was hosted by Firstnet. Firstnet is a nationwide network that provides communication solutions for the public safety market. Firstnet had the Under Fire attendees broken up into firefighter, police, and EMS groups and talk about how different types of technology affect their operation. The second day took place on Hall of Champions Kyle Field. Companies took to the stage and pitched their innovations and products to a panel of judges. The companies showcased new technologies for drones, simulations, and tracking. The judges awarded the ten best pitches with an opportunity to demonstrate their technology in the field on the final day. The last and most lively day

Kevin sits down with Philip Tinsley of Venti LLC. They discuss hazmat sensing and how Venti’s Intelipod is a low-cost, lightweight solution to increase situation awareness. Venti LLC is a technology firm that provides first responders with innovations that enhance real-time data collection, giving first responders immediate situational awareness. The company was founded by a team of DOD and Aerospace executives that worked in remote sensing. Venti offers a fully integrated system of low-cost, disposable sensors and a tactical data display that provides real-time information to first responders. The Fire Front system collects data from several different sources and displays them on one screen in real-time. The goal of the system is to give firefighters a full picture of the scene with detailed information. The tool that makes this possible is the Intelipod. The Intelipod is a low-cost pod with a lightweight micro-sensor with Bluetooth/RF capabilities. The pod provides the condition, location, temperature, and

Mike sits down with Todd Stave of Blue Vigil. They discuss the common power problem with UAVs, Drone safety, and the advantages of tethers, on this episode of Smart Firefighting podcast. Blue Vigil is a company that manufactures, distributes, and supports tether power systems for drones. Their main offering is the RS1000 Ground Power System. The system connects to a drone using a tether, which provides power to the UAV. The UAV can then stay in the air for as long as it is connected, potentially indefinitely. Compatibility is essential for a system like this. If a system doesn’t work with the most common public safety drones, it won’t be worthwhile. The RS1000 is compatible with the most popular drones on the market including the S1000, S900, Inspire 1, Inspire 2, Matrice 200, or any drone that operates on a 12V or 24V battery. Being tethered offers a variety of benefits other than indefinite flight times. In many situations, a drone is utilized as an eye in the sky. With an untethered UAV, a pilot would n

Kevin sits down with, Mauro Porcelli, the author of Surviving the Firehouse. They discussed Mauro’s firefighter and paramedic experience in the City of Orlando. He discusses how he decided that the premise of his book would follow a firefighter from first his first interest through his career to retirement. Kevin finds out which technologies most impacted Mauro’s career and what tech companies should do when they try to innovate in the fire service. Mauro started his firefighting career at Marion County Fire/Rescue in 1988. Mauro’s career advancement was explosive at the age of 23 he was the youngest District Commander officers in the State of Florida. Mauro has earned commendations from The United States Congress, Florida House of Representatives and Florida State Governor's office including two medals of Distinction for Valor and Heroism in the line of duty. Mauro worked relentlessly to mentor rookie firefighters. Surviving the Firehouse: A Rookies Guide to "Surviving the Firehouse and Fire Department Life"

Kevin sits down with Cuong Luu to talk about the DHS’ Shaken Fury event. The event will take place in Birmingham, Alabama in August. The goal of the event is to prepare the city by integrating first responder capabilities in the event of an earthquake. DHS will also use the event to prepare for the 2021 wargame. To prepare for this event, the DHS has put out a Request for Information. The request for information is a call to all industry, academia, and development centers to submit applications addressing innovative solutions for integration and testing. Innovators will have a chance to see their technology being used and integrated into disaster procedures moving forward. The DHS S&T will evaluate the innovations to determine if the solutions fit their plan. They are looking for technologies that make first responders better protected, more connected, and more effective during major disasters. DHS is open to assess a variety of different solutions, so applicants shouldn’t feel discouraged if their inn

Mike sits down with Brendan Stewart of AeroVista Drone Academy to talk about drones, the drone industry, and drone training. Brendan dives into being the 4th company to receive the FAA waiver for overflight of people and more. On this episode of the Smart Firefighting Podcast. AeroVista Drone Academy is a company that provides training for drone operators in the public safety industry. Public safety is an industry that holds a higher standard for safety because of the dangerous situations first responders face. AeroVista leverages their talented team to create intelligent, scalable programs for public safety members. AeroVista’s professionalism is well defined. They were the 4th company to receive the FAA waiver for overflight of people. Overflight of people is one of the most challenging waivers to receive. The FAA requires companies to provide their own crash data. Crashing a drone might not seem difficult, but AeroVista's drone was using a helium-filled balloon drone. The helium balloon made crashing d

Under Fire is less than a month away. Kevin got a chance to sit down with Paul Siebert of Texas A&M to discuss what attendees should expect. They talk about the shark tank style pitches that will happen on day one. On day two the ten companies that advance will have a chance to “burn it, break it, blow it up” at Disaster city. TEEX PDC’s Under Fire is a two-day event. Twenty companies will present their new technology in the form of a shark tank pitch. The ten best pitches will advance to the second day, where they will demonstrate their technology at the Disaster City. The innovations that are judged best will win cash prizes. First Responders who attend Under Fire will have a chance to watch the first day of pitches. The following day they will get to observe the technology in use the next day at Disaster City. In addition, attendees will be able to go to talks and workshops hosted by the sponsors of Under Fire. Nowhere else in the world will you find an event like Under Fire. Under Fire will take place

What is a smart city? It’s a city that was built using data to create an efficient, eco-friendly, and safe urban landscape. The Digit group is a U.S company based in New York City that creates designs and blueprints for these cities. Cities built using data provide a safer and more fulfilling lifestyle to its inhabitants. To create a smart city, Digit Group puts together an in-depth analysis of publicly gathered information. This information is combined with eco-friendly technologies to produce the blueprint. It doesn’t matter if it’s a sprawling city or a cozy village every community can benefit by converting into a smart city. It can sound intimidating but smart cities are just efficient planning combined with new technology. These technologies translate to cities that are not only cleaner and more efficient but also less wasteful. The Digit Group leaders are world leader authorities on smart cities. They have been the keynote speaker at dozens of conferences and conventions and have authored white papers

Learn how Data Chief collects and distributes information to inform decisions of First Responders. Michael Heifetz of Data Chief discusses making data tangible for first responders, closing the info gap on data, and combining government data and grassroots data collection. On Episode 42 of the Smart Firefighting Podcast. What if first responders didn’t need to spend time collecting information while on the scene. What if when first responders arrived on the scene, they knew the best location to park their vehicle? What if they already knew how many people live in the area? What if before ever entering the building firefighters knew the room layout and materials used in the house? What if an organization existed that collects this information for first responders? It might surprise you, but that organization already exists. Data Chief collects information on communities’ occupants, contact information, construction, utilities, and more to give first responders every advantage. When first responders have accura

Kevin sits down with Neil Lakomiak of Underwriters Laboratories to talk about innovation in the fire industry. They also discuss industry trends, collaboration in the fire service, how to help firefighters avoid technology overload. Underwriter Laboratories is one of a handful of companies that are approved to perform safety testing in the United States. It’s no surprise that technology being brought to the fire industry needs to be rigorously tested to ensure it is safe to use. Another thing Underwriter Laboratories does is test innovations before they go to market to ensure they are worth the cost of adopting. If not, Underwriter Laboratories works with companies to find ways to improve the product. Underwriter Laboratories tests these technologies and provides a line of communication to the companies and members in the fire industry. The fire industry has a difficult time adopting new technology. The fire service can be a tough industry to break into, firefighters need fast and effective solutions and c

Under Fire is an event in the fire industry for emerging technology, first responders, and vendors. Sponsored by Texas A&M Engineering Under Fire gives an opportunity for startups to showcase their new technology to an audience of first responders. Startups from around the world pitch their innovative technology. The 20 best entries are invited to go head to head in realistic scenarios to find which innovation is the best. Under Fire is a 2-day event in College Station, TX. While the focus of the event is the competition, TEEX will have workshops set up and speakers scheduled for attendees. To keep the event focused TEEX will be focusing on 5 tracks this year. They are Personal Tracking, Robotics/UAVs, Communication and Internet of First Responders, Disaster Resiliency and Recovery, and Applications in the First Net Store. Finally, an exhibition hall will be open for attendees to find innovative products from TEEX Partners. First responders will not be charged to attend Under Fire. TEEX wants to keep th

Learn how Chief Lambel used data to verify his department's decision-making process to relocate a firehouse within the city of Mount Prospect.

Kevin sits down with Tracy Eldridge of RapidSOS to talk about a common misconception that 911 telecommunicators know the location of a caller. Tracy discusses RapidSOS’ solution and how they can expand to relay more information than just location.

Kevin sits down with Nathanial Wish of Responder Ventures to talk about how entrepreneurs in the public safety market have difficulty getting their ideas adopted. Nathan talks about how Responder Ventures is helping these entrepreneurs get their ideas into the market

Kevin sits down with David C. Borlo of Salt Flats to talk about how businesses need to change to tackle the digital age. They go into how Salt Flats cultivates ideas and pushes companies outside their comfort zone to bring new solutions forward.

Kevin sits down with Robert Matthews of STS Defence to talk about their FiRST flashover warning system. They go into the warning signs of flashover and how their device keeps firefighters safe.

Kevin sits down with Benny Shalev of Fireworks to talk about managing data for municipalities. They go into how inspections are done and where the data goes and how Fireworks software is helping firefighters fight fires with facts.