Bay Region firefighters create activity-switching wildfire technologies
No matter if on an iPad or other pill, the Bay Area-produced “Tablet Command” procedure is almost nothing significantly less than a technological game changer for firefighters, by firefighters.
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. – Because the initially major firestorms of 2017, large technological know-how has been increasing resources for firefighters, who nonetheless mainly do the job on the floor and typically with minimal details about how the all round fight is likely.
Two Bay Place firefighters have formulated an in general predicament awareness software that other firefighters appreciate — and say should really distribute to other departments.
Regardless of whether on an iPad or other tablet, the Bay-Spot-made “Tablet Command” technique is very little much less than a technological game changer for firefighters, by firefighters.
Contra Costa County firefighters William Pidgeon, who is also a computer science specialist, and Andy Bozzo, a operating firefighter, employed their true planet experiences to appear up with the Tablet Command software program.
The software package is now made use of by 265 fire departments throughout North The us, and its person amount is growing everyday.
“I was not organized to construct a mission significant application. So we raised some dollars with friends and loved ones, made a corporation and partnered with a software growth business to acquire the initially variation of the application,” mentioned Pidgeon.
The app is all about the situational recognition of the complete fireplace incident, providing information obtainable to all incident commanders and first responders.
“The nice matter about this, it truly is on an iPad, which, for most departments, they can find the money for to order,” stated Main Costa.
In advance of Tablet Command, laptop computer laptop devices that did 50 percent as significantly ended up, at least, 2 times the charge. To this working day, any departments still have only paper notes, paper maps and a radio, with minor accessibility to the significant picture.
Two Sonoma County firefighters observed the software work when they were being on mutual help incidents, and they fought difficult to deliver it to the Bay Region.
“I was blown absent. I was like, ‘Wow, we seriously want to carry this to Sonoma County,’” said Petaluma Fireplace Office Assistant Main Chad Costa.
“It is, by significantly, arms down, one particular of the finest technological know-how resources I have at any time utilized,” extra Sonoma Valley Fire Battalion Main Spencer Andreis.
Tablet Command contains any area’s fire background, all roads statewide (which includes back roads and hearth roadways), the area of each and every piece of gear and thousands of cameras (like remote utility cameras), regional hearth temperature and is infinitely expandable.
From the industry, firefighters can enter info in real time, drastically dashing up and increasing responses.
If there’s any weak spot to this system at all, it comes about in distant regions wherever there is certainly tiny or no Wi-Fi. But, with industrial, internet satellite Wi-Fi currently on the market place, that difficulty will probable be cleared up as nicely.