Biometrics and wearables are ushering in a new wave of public safety technologies. These innovations have the potential to greatly improve the health and safety of firefighters — and get us closer to the goal of zero deaths or injuries.

Evolution of fire communications

I come from a long line of firefighters. Since the early 1900s, members of my family have served in the fire service. The communication tools my great-grandfather used, like field runners or speaking trumpets, are vastly different from those available today.

When I first joined the fire service over 45 years ago, we had advanced communication tools that are still in use today — the land mobile radio. But agencies were lucky if they had one or two portable radios, and those were reserved for chief officers to talk to dispatch.

Technology has rapidly progressed from there. Today, firefighters have the benefit of wireless broadband that connects them to their team, their command staff, and to data sources like maps, weather, and GPS.

Next wave of technology

The next wave of public safety technology promises to change response operations for firefighters once again. It also offers greater safety and security for our firefighters in the field.

Deaths and injuries have steadily decreased over the past four decades thanks to more effective safety gear and better communications.

What if we could fast-track our way to zero deaths and injuries? Biometrics and wearable tech have the potential to get us closer to that goal.

Disrupting top causes of death and injury

The causes of firefighter death and injury include stress, overexertion, vehicle collision, being struck by an object, getting trapped, structure collapse, falls, exposure to chemicals, and cancer.

Technology can help detect these issues and provide alerts when conditions become life-threatening. Let’s examine how technologies like biometrics and location services can reduce injury and death.

Biometrics and wearables

Biometrics monitor the physiological state of a firefighter. Body-worn sensors can capture data like heart rate, respiration, body temperature, and an electrocardiogram. Taken together, these readings can create a full picture of a firefighter’s health status.

Biometrics allow for real-time health monitoring. A commander can stand in front of a burning building with a tablet and access the health status of each firefighter inside.

Other wearables include environmental sensors that detect dangerous chemical exposure. Heat sensors can detect rapid temperature increases before a flashover occurs. Flashovers are a particularly dangerous threat because when all combustible material within the area simultaneously ignites, it causes near-inescapable conditions.  

Advanced location-based services

Pinpointing a firefighter’s precise location within structures can be a matter of life and death.

The ability to track a responder to a 3D location is especially critical in multistory buildings.

If a firefighter goes down — whether because they are struck by an object, the structure collapses, they fall, or are trapped by flames — the incident commander needs to know exactly where they are to send help.

Advanced location-based services like FirstNet’s z-axis capability provide height above terrain to pinpoint the responder’s vertical location.

The role of public safety’s network

Technologies can modulate some of the biggest risks facing firefighters, but many need reliable connectivity.  

Many of these devices benefit from being interconnected by FirstNet. For example, a FirstNet-enabled smartphone can have apps that control the sensors and manage the data, while performing edge computing and analytics.

These lifesaving technologies need the reliability, security, and priority of a network built for public safety operations.