Gathering information through sensors is as old as life.
The five major senses-sight, sound, feel, smell, and touch-have provided us with information since the beginning of human life. Mechanical sensors, such as pressure gauges and fuel level gauges, have been with us for more than a century. However, the emergence of electronic sensors is a relatively new technology that is growing by leaps and bounds.
Smart Firefighting
In May 2015, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) released a much-awaited report titled, “Research Roadmap for Smart Fire Fighting.” The more than 200-page report is the output of several months of input that began in September 2013 under the guidance of a nine-member project technical panel. There are 14 chapters with different authors for each chapter-it is not one person’s opinion. As stated in the report, “The purpose of this research roadmap is to identify and prioritize the research and development needs for implementation of the next generation of smart systems to benefit fire protection and firefighting.” The report primarily looks at “emerging sensor and computing technologies with building control systems, firefighting equipment, and apparatus.”
Is all this necessary? Let’s take a brief look at the current firefighting environment. We may or may not know where the fire is located (seat of the fire). We likely do not know the rate of fire spread, the temperatures inside the structure, the exact location of firefighters, the environment of the firefighters, and so on. The anticipated future of firefighting will be filled with sensory-rich information and tactics based on science rather than tradition. Lack of situational awareness will be replaced with actual situational awareness. The data will be collected from both stationary and mobile sensory platforms.
The technology required for all of this already exists or is quickly emerging. Here is a sampling:
- Smart fabrics used in PPE can measure heart rate, breathing rate, and skin temperature, and wireless technology can transmit the data to a smartphone.
- Augmented reality glasses can see things not visible to the naked eye.
- Robots and drones are becoming less expensive to gather fireground information.
- Soon all vehicles will likely come with collision avoidance systems.
- GPS is leading to increased mapping capabilities.
- Smart home alarm systems are more affordable and provide more and more data.
- Commercial, industrial, and multifamily dwellings are using dashboards to monitor their energy efficiency. This can be expanded to provide information to responders.
StandardS Development
One of the biggest challenges for smart firefighting is integrating all this data into a user-friendly format. The key step will be to develop standards for these technologies to comply with. For example, the valve stem is the same for any tire regardless of size or manufacturer. We know what the color and size of a stop sign will be in any jurisdiction in the country. One of the goals of the report is to outline the roadmap for developing these standards.
The publication is an interesting read for anyone interested in the future of the fire service. Readers, beware: There are seven pages of acronyms described at the front of the report. There are several useful graphs and illustrations. A generation ago, a battalion chief told me that t