With the right apps, broadband will make a difference to fire sector

Instantaneous access to site information is available via existing applications today. We’ve written about two such applications—from BeSafe Technologies and RealView—during the past week, both of which are designed to help firefighting units execute plans more efficiently by allowing them to access and share relevant information quickly, without having to thumb through thick binders of paper information.

“What we’re doing is we’re replacing a lot of the paper binders that most departments are used to using, not only for fire but also for police,” David Howorka, executive vice president of RealView, said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “What happens is that, when these responders get the 911 call, their computers may provide them with map data on how to get there, but the real important information is what’s under the roof, and what’s behind the four walls of the building that they’re about to enter—90% of the time, they’ve never been in the building before.”

Now, the two applications that we’ve written about are not alone (and please let us know about others), and my bet is that this is one area that will see significant evolution as public-safety broadband becomes more prevalent and reliable. When you consider the ability of such technologies eventually being able to leverage data from environmental sensors, biometric sensors and the firefighter-location solutions, incident commanders soon could have the information needed to make better decisions than ever before.

Meanwhile, rapid developments are being made in technologies that would allow a firefighter to view relevant information—perhaps a floor plan with his current location—via a voice command, so hands are free to execute the work necessary to bring a blaze under control or help find someone in need.

It all can make your mind spin, because the possibilities seem endless. But the bottom line is that some useful tools already exist, and they should become even more helpful after the companies that develop the applications get real-world feedback from the firefighting community.