LTE and liability: Why the fire service must move forward with digital incident command

The grief following a firefighter line-of-duty death (LODD) is beyond words. Fellow firefighters are devastated. Families are shattered. In the aftermath, questions arise about the circumstances: Was the loss preventable? What was the chain of actions leading to the catastrophe? Central to these questions is the role of incident command (IC), the command’s situational awareness, and the IC’s decision-making.

When a jurisdiction fails to track data that can answer these questions, the agency opens itself to liability as loved ones seek justice for what they may believe is an unjustified loss. Occupational safety regulators, as well, may impose fines when bad outcomes cannot be defended.

Though firefighter fatalities and injuries will always be a constant danger, new LTE/5G-enabled digital incident-command systems can help reduce the risk. With improved IC situational awareness, strengthened adherence to safe operating practices, and extensive operations data capture, these systems boost safety and provide valuable forensic data when disaster strikes.

Whiteboard, paper, or memory-based command systems offer scant data capture functionality. Consequently, an IC may not have time to capture all critical decisions in the record by hand. Missing details and timestamps mean that an after-action report contains critical gaps. While timestamped radio traffic may fill in some of these holes, not all decisions get communicated via the radio—and not all radio traffic may be recorded. Tracking the command decision process with a digital tool creates an IC black box that systematically preserves data, just as a black box on an aircraft does.

FDIC 2022 marks an inflection point

Alongside acres of fire apparatus, hand tools, breathing apparatus, clothing, and every other conceivable piece of firefighting equipment, the 2022 FDIC International exhibition included cutting-edge digital incident command tools for tracking team assignments, firefighter status, and operational decisions. Offerings from Adashi Systems, Systems Definition Inc (SDI), Tablet Command, and 3AM Innovations stood out as powerful command platforms shown at FDIC.

A significant development revealed at FDIC 2022 is a move by leading breathing-apparatus supplier 3M Scott to open its breathing-apparatus telemetry data and personal alert safety system (PASS) signals for use by selected partners.

Adashi Systems and SDI both showed the rich functionality added to digital incident-command systems using a two-way connection to breathing apparatus. L3Harris supplies two-way P25-enabled data exchange with the Adashi Systems Command and Control offer, and Motorola Solutions has a long-standing relationship with SDI for similar functionality.

Clearly, two-way wireless data signaling between firefighters on a fireground and incident command sets the stage for transformative change.

With these capabilities, incident commanders can wirelessly push Personnel Accountability Report (PAR) roll-call requests or evacuation orders directly to everyday devices carried by all firefighters. Members can respond with a simple button push, eliminating the time-consuming voice process that jams the tactical radio channel and distracts both IC and reporting members. These systems also permit firefighters to signal the start of a self-evacuation when conditions deteriorate in a structure—all without vying for airtime or pushing the Emergency Button.

Improvements in wireless links supporting firefighter safety were not the only technology advances shown at FDIC. Software innovators—from in-building mapping companies such as MappedIn to pre-plan data-management companies such as FirstDue—showed how digital assets are a constructive and practical addition to the IC toolkit. All of the digital incident-command tools supported useful integrations with these types of valuable data sources.

Digital incident command depends on an LTE/5G foundation

Delivering extensive high-quality data sets to field commanders requires solid wide-area network functionality enabled by LTE/5G.

This ubiquitous communications technology enables cloud-based web applications to provide flexible, just-in-time access to large databases, but the potential that LTE/5G creates a common operating picture (COP) is just as significant. Introducing COP platforms into incident command helps scale the span of control as incidents grow. When an incident commander or division supervisor updates information on one tablet, all other users see a common view.

Of course, not every incident will be in an area with LTE/5G. Smart suppliers of these digital incident command systems provide the ability to operate in isolated areas with no network.

When access to cloud-based data is not possible, the basic incident management and logging functionality remain available. The reality, however, is that the vast majority of incidents occur in areas with excellent LTE/5G. Data access can also be obtained from satellite cell-on-wheel systems during disasters or wildfire responses.

Digital incident command reduces liability risk

Incident commanders must make tough decisions with limited information. When catastrophe strikes, the availability of a comprehensive and objective log can serve as a bulwark against legal action taken by property owners, injured parties, bereaved families, and occupational safety regulators. These systems help incident commanders defend the tough decisions.

Beyond the legal practicality of avoiding litigation, post-incident investigations by the Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program operated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) help the fire service identify approaches that make the job safer. Access to logged information from digital incident-command systems helps drive more effective post-action reviews, leading to reduced loss of life and injury in the future.

For the fire service, the value of digital incident-command tools means that access to reliable LTE/5G service is now more than a nice-to-have capability. It is essential.

This paradigm shift means that local governments must budget to support the adoption of LTE/5G and incident-command tools. But ultimately, the old-school fire-service leadership approaches relying on seat-of-pants command tracked with terse notes on yellow pads must yield to the discipline of digital incident command that boosts situational awareness, accountability, and operational effectiveness.

Ken Rehbehn is a principal analyst at CritComm Insights. An industry analyst since 2002, Ken also serves as a firefighter in Montgomery County, Maryland.