Smart Firefighting

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! This firefighter's equipment uses better tech than most fire departments to keep him safe from carcinogens... Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! In this episode: - Why are firefighters' current gas detection meters not enough? - What is a CAFS and why does the Class A foam differ? - What is the science behind this better equipment? Let's hear from the Deputy Fire Chief who has taken on the National Fire Academy's research himself Gary Baum. After Baum left the Academy's Executive Fire Officer Program as first in his class, he felt called to continue their efforts on fire ground carcinogen testing and reduction since he believes it can make a difference in firefighter health and safety while also applying his background knowledge in chemistry and physics stemming from his science teaching days. On top of his resear

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Should the U.S. be next to use centralized aerial technology to stop rampant wildfires? Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! In this episode: - Why is the U.S. falling behind other countries in adopting cost-effective, proven technologies? - How is Caylym stopping wildfires before they are out of control? - Can you literally make it rain? Well let's ask Rick Goddard, who is not only the principal designer at Caylym Technologies International but also the Managing Director / Chairman and former Marine Officer. Goddard leads a high-performing team committed to saving lives, homes and the environment through an advanced aerial firefighting system called Guardian™, a patented gravity based Low Velocity Air Drop System (LVADS) using Container Delivery System (CDS) based technology. In simple terms, Guardian™ is a contain

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Who says gamified content can't help first responders reduce risk? Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! In this episode: - How LOCI combines the human experience, our physical beings, & tech to enhance our lives - How web 3.0 technologies increase safety & efficiencies - How to build behavior-changing training tools An early adopter of webXR and Web3 protocols, Samantha uses immersive learning, digital presence and web-based accessibility to build behavior-changing training tools and bring safety into the future. Full of passion with a desire to disrupt and advance society forward, the current CEO / CTO founded LOCI, a location-based game engine that generates gamified content based on surroundings that measurably reduces risk in any environment. The innovative safety training platform’s powerful no-code cou

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the 4th and final episode of our FRST Challenge Mini Series! It's time to understand the relationship between innovative engineering and public safety management, so let's hear from experts on both ends of the spectrum: "smart cities" visionary Stefan Truthän and Fire Chief Dan Munsey, MPA, CFO. In this episode: - What is FRST Challenge? - Why do first responders need 3D tracking technology? - How can you participate in the competition? Chief Munsey has been with San Bernardino County Fire Department for over 26 years, working his way up the ladder until he became Chief more than 2 years ago. Truthän may not be a firefighter himself, but proven by his 20 years as CEO of hhpberlin, his engineering career has been dedicated towards reshaping the first responder industry int

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the 3rd episode of our FRST Challenge Mini Series! Here's how you can join Jaap de Vries, Ph.D. in creating a smarter, more resilient future for first responders... In this episode: - What is FRST Challenge? - Why do first responders need 3D tracking technology? - How can you participate in the competition? Previous VP of Innovation, Science and Technology for FM Global - a mutual insurance company whose capital, scientific research capability and engineering expertise are solely dedicated to property risk management and the resilience of our client-owners - de Vries was responsible for building a network of sources to identify, research and assess emerging signals of change in the market, new technologies and scientific advances. His main goal was to discover and develop

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the 2nd episode of our FRST Challenge Mini Series! Who else understands the importance of location tracking better than the prior Logistician and Task Force Safety Officer (TFSO) who deployed the Washington State Urban Search and Rescue Team (WATF-1) to the Oklahoma City Bombing and Hurricane Katrina? In this episode: - What is FRST Challenge? - Why do first responders need 3d tracking technology? - How can you participate in the competition? Chief Christian Tubbs has a 40+ year career in the fire service with a background full of highly accredited certifications, degrees, and member statuses. Current Fire Chief for the Mill Valley Fire Department, he also serves as the Northern Division Director and E-Board Member of CalChiefs, as an E-Board Director and Treasurer (NISC)

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the 1st episode of our FRST Challenge Mini Series! Tracking has long been a problem even though it's vital for operational safety, so innovators worldwide are working to improve first responders' lives everywhere... In this episode: - What is FRST Challenge? - Why do emergency responders need 3D tracking technology? - How can you participate in the competition? With 46 years of experience and the reputation of a highly regarded global instructor plus national author, lecturer and fire officer, who better than to hear about the necessity of FRST Challenge other than Christopher Naum, SFPE? Current Chief of Training for the Command Institute of the Center for Fireground Leadership and Technical Consultant/Advisor & SME to the National Institute for Occupational Safety

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! How can alerting firefighters differently help them get in the zone? In this episode: - How do audible alerting systems affect a firefighter’s health? - How can tactile alerts improve efficiency for firefighters? - Why is alerting redundancy so important? And who better to share new tactical notification systems that better dispatch and alert firefighters than the father-son duo behind-the-scenes? Blake Richardson grew up around the firehouse. His dad, Brad Richardson, is a captain and paramedic for a fire department in northern Florida. Brad became the inspiration behind EaseAlert when Blake noticed the toll that firefighting was taking on his dad each day that he returned from duty. Blake wanted to come up with a way to make his dad’s job less stressful. EaseAlert is that solu

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! Firefighters do their part in ensuring our safety, so it's time we do our part and ensure theirs... In this episode: - How have fire service training tactics evolved with modern day technology? - What training challenges exist with current restrictions? - Why is it critical to leverage technology to enable “sets & reps”? Let's hear more about immersive training environments to prepare those who serve from the man who sells the training himself Evan Wing. Given Evan has been Middleton Fire District's Fire Lieutenant for almost a decade, he not only understands but feels the consequences of the lack of training technologies for firefighters. As the VP of Sales North America at Flaim Systems, Evan has a strong desire to utilize new technologies in order to better prepare the fir

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! CALLING ALL INNOVATORS!! Have you heard of the FRST challenge yet? In this episode: - What is the FRST challenge? - How to leverage the community to crowdsource the best innovation - Why you shouldn't be afraid to fail SFF got to hear from innovator, entrepreneur and designer Sonny E. Kirkley who is the Director of User Experience for Crisis Technologies Innovations Lab (CTIL). With extensive experience managing complex projects and programs, he enjoys taking an idea from a concept to development and working with stakeholders on effective implementation. Much of his career has been focused on learning technologies and implementing programs in diverse settings (e.g., Fortune 100 to K- schools), while Kirkley particularly enjoys working with emerging technologies such as augmented

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! Imagine how many more lives could be saved if public safety training technologies mimicked real life crisis scenarios to more accurately prepare emergency responders. Well, Tammy McLean had the same thought... In this episode: - How is TechX unique? - Who should participate? - What will participants learn? - How can we register? Founder and CEO of Global Convergent Technologies LLC, Tammy is the visionary behind TechX experiences. TechX events, beginning with #TechX2021, are immersive, hands-on experiences that train public safety professionals to use state-of-the-art technologies to solve complex crisis challenges. With extensive experience in global corporate event-planning and marketing, Tammy manages TechX experiences worldwide and leads private and public organizations in in

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! People tend to think that only the bad can teach a lesson, but wouldn't talking about the good also help keep the community safe? In this episode: - What is community risk reduction? - How can it be applied to improve safety? - How to do a risk assessment that helps you first understand your community, then take the best action Sharing his best practices with us is the approachable, positive, and proven industry leader Joe Powers. Accomplished in developing strategic partnerships for sustainable community outcomes and success in designing and leading organizational change, he is internationally known as a visionary in organizational change, community risk reduction, and creative data solutions for decision-making and service delivery. With 27 years of innovative experience in the

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! Just how does National Fallen Firefighter Foundation (NFFF) help firefighters, their families and fire departments? In this episode: - What is the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation’s core mission? - How to support and honor first responders - What are trends for the best fireground operations tools? - How to engage with and innovate for fire service members? Let's learn from the man who took over as Executive Director of NFFF in 2001 Chief Ron Siarnicki! Chief Siarnicki's wealth of knowledge stems from being raised in a fire service family along with his over twenty years of experience in the service. As Executive Director, he manages the day to day operations of the Foundation and included managing the National Memorial Services, construction of the National Memorial Park a

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the final episode of our IAFC Technology Council Outreach Mini Series! Attention all entrepreneurs looking to support first responders... In this episode: - What 21st-century communication challenges exist for buildings? - What's the unique issue when first responders come together from a large response area? - How to utilize Project 25 to explore open architecture solutions SFF got to hear from Hickory Fire Department's Accreditation Manager-Captain Marcus Scott, Chief Matt Hutchinson and Battalion Chief Jason Lowrance to find out how fire ground operations can be conducted so all the operations work in conjunction with one another. Marcus Scott has been Hickory's Accreditation Manager for over 5 years and has previous specialization in Fire Systems Data while Jason Lowr

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the eighth episode of our IAFC Technology Council Outreach Mini Series! Now what does behavioral economics have to do with the fire service? In this episode: - What is behavioral economics and how can we rethink the approach? - Explore the significance of framing, relativity, loss aversion and conformity - Who can effectively integrate behavioral economics into fire departments? SFF heard from fire chiefs who have brought behavioral economics into their departments to find out just how it applies to the fire industry. Fire Chief Dan Munsey has been with the San Bernardino County Fire Department for over 26 years, is a chairperson of the CalChiefs Operations Section - a subsection of the California Fire Chiefs Association providing specialized support to the parent body an

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the 7th episode of our IAFC Technology Council Outreach Mini Series! Ever wanted to tell your story exactly how it is, but couldn't figure out how? In this episode: - Why you shouldn't fake your story - How to engage with first responders where they are - Tips and tricks to succeed in public safety SFF heard from marketing guru Dillon Corbet to learn about his authentic marketing practices for the emergency responder community. Director of both Business Operations and Social Media Services for Rogue Monkey Media, Dillon enjoys finding creative solutions for his clients needs that simultaneously boosts their ROI. Rogue Monkey Media prides themselves in - as the name suggests - influencing out-of-the-box marketing methods that stray away from "what has always been done" to

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the sixth episode of our IAFC Technology Council Outreach Mini Series! Want to learn how to fly with a click of a button? In this episode: - How can first responders maintain constant situational awareness while on scene? - How to avoid the need for a part 107 license "Built for first responders," Fotokite provides public safety teams with mission-critical situational awareness from elevated perspectives. Their actively tethered UAS (unmanned aerial system) saves team resources by launching, flying and landing with the single push of a button - no piloting necessary. Fotokite is authorized and recognized by aviation authorities as a safer alternative to traditional tethered drone and free-flying public safety drone systems. SFF spoke with Fotokite's Business Development a

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the fifth episode of our IAFC Technology Council Outreach Mini Series! What if we could extend coverage to the edge of current networks to provide reliable connectivity for first responders? Well, Hypha is already on it. In this episode: - How does wireless innovation increase capabilities in communication denied environments? - How do decentralized communication nodes ensure connectivity? - Why are such devices a force multiplier for first responders? And who better to tell us about decentralized mesh networks than Hypha's Vice President of North American Sales himself Todd York? Todd additionally holds the titles of Director of Sales and Strategy for The Public Safety Network and Senior Account Executive for First Due, proving his expertise and dedication to cultivating

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the fourth episode of our IAFC Technology Council Outreach Mini Series! Ever heard of Intelligent Nanofiber Inc? In this episode: - How to prevent unnecessary toxic waste from getting into waterways - Why is the death of 1,000 cuts hurting our environment? - How does adaptable material support first responder recovery efforts? The President and COO of Intelligent Nanofiber Inc himself told SFF all about it! Erik 'Skip' Moratzka is an entrepreneur and business owner who focuses on creating value-based solutions via product innovation. Intelligent NanoFiber, an absorbent nano-material capable of capturing and neutralizing toxins and infectious diseases, is produced by INYF and based in College Station, TX. The team is working to bring revolutionary products to the market th

Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy! This is the third episode of our IAFC Technology Council Outreach Mini Series! Why do so many technologies make first responders lives harder instead of easier? In this episode: - How is Western States Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) evaluating and testing technology? - Understanding the need for user-driven, practical applications that ease first responders' load - How to reduce bandaid solutions SFF got the inside scoop from not just one but two WFCA leaders: Senior Technology Advisor David Blankinship and Deputy Director Brent VanKeulen. Blankinship specializes in data analysis, visualization, modeling and system architecture and is also the co-founded of Intterra, an enterprise working on crucial public safety innovations. VanKeulen's efforts are spent on the other side of th