TECHNOLOGY
THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE LIFE-SAVING WORK OF FIRE SERVICES IN JANUARY 2022, SEVENTEEN PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES IN AN APARTMENT BUILDING FIRE IN THE BRONX, NEW YORK. IT WAS CAUSED BY A SINGLE, DEFECTIVE SPACE HEATER IN ONE, SMALL APARTMENT ROOM, BUT THE LOSS OF LIFE WAS ENORMOUS. Deadly as these urban fires are, they are only half the story – the other half being taken up by almost constant, horrific images of wildfires all over the world, from Australia to Europe to the American Pacific Northwest. These fires make headlines so often because their occurrence is increasing. Drier grounds, hotter temperatures, more lightning strikes, unprepared communities – all of these combine to make the threat of damaging fires more severe now than ever. This is the reality that firefighters have to face when reporting to work every day, but one ever-evolving tool in their armoury is the development of new technologies – solutions that make their jobs safer and more efficient. So, in 2022, what are the tech solutions receiving solid attention?
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For starters: data, data, and more data. Data is everything, from in-the-moment information about a blaze and what it might do next, to longer-term information about a fire fighter’s health and well-being. Data will help plan the next moves, judge who is fit to do what, and pinpoint locations across the globe where a wildfire is likely to strike next. Of course, data means far less to progress if it isn’t shared, and so much of the focus on data depends on different individuals, departments, agencies exchanging it with each other. Only then can they hope to paint the fullest picture of what’s going on. The Internet of Things (IoT) that will fuel this development is expected to feed information on everything from CCTV cameras, to fire detection systems, monitoring technology, gas detection, and even traffic management, so that a fire truck
or ambulance racing to the scene of a disaster will have more control of the roads they use. All of this is so important because it helps firefighters make vital decisions in far less time. Where in a building to tackle first, what kind of gases would someone be exposed to there, where victims might be trapped – all can be delivered today with clarity that hasn’t been seen before. It is also likely to be complemented by increased use of mobile technology, according to international tech giant Samsung. The firm believes that the use of mobile technology in emergency services will “take off” – making use of innovations like 5G data, specialised smartphones to communicate, and view important advanced information such as building plans and wind patterns.
