Bay Spot firefighters develop match-altering wildfire engineering
No matter if on an iPad or other pill, the Bay Area-created “Tablet Command” system is nothing at all significantly less than a technological recreation changer for firefighters, by firefighters.
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. – Considering that the initially key firestorms of 2017, large engineering has been enhancing resources for firefighters, who however generally do the job on the floor and normally with minimal data about how the overall struggle is likely.
Two Bay Area firefighters have formulated an all round situation consciousness application that other firefighters love — and say need to distribute to other departments.
Whether on an iPad or other pill, the Bay-Area-developed “Tablet Command” method is practically nothing fewer than a technological sport changer for firefighters, by firefighters.
Contra Costa County firefighters William Pidgeon, who is also a laptop or computer science professional, and Andy Bozzo, a doing the job firefighter, utilized their authentic earth ordeals to occur up with the Pill Command software.
The program is now utilized by 265 fire departments across North The usa, and its consumer quantity is growing each day.
“I wasn’t well prepared to develop a mission crucial application. So we raised some dollars with good friends and loved ones, established a enterprise and partnered with a computer software growth business to produce the to start with edition of the application,” explained Pidgeon.
The application is all about the situational consciousness of the overall fireplace incident, featuring info available to all incident commanders and initially responders.
“The great factor about this, it really is on an iPad, which, for most departments, they can pay for to invest in,” claimed Chief Costa.
Prior to Pill Command, notebook laptop or computer devices that did 50 % as a great deal ended up, at least, 2 times the charge. To this day, any departments nonetheless have only paper notes, paper maps and a radio, with very little entry to the huge photo.
Two Sonoma County firefighters saw the software package function while they were on mutual support incidents, and they fought tough to provide it to the Bay Place.
“I was blown absent. I was like, ‘Wow, we definitely want to convey this to Sonoma County,’” mentioned Petaluma Fireplace Office Assistant Chief Chad Costa.
“It is, by considerably, fingers down, 1 of the finest technological innovation instruments I have at any time utilized,” added Sonoma Valley Fire Battalion Chief Spencer Andreis.
Tablet Command features any area’s fire historical past, all streets statewide (which include again streets and fire roads), the spot of each piece of devices and 1000’s of cameras (including remote utility cameras), neighborhood hearth climate and is infinitely expandable.
From the area, firefighters can enter information in real time, significantly speeding up and improving responses.
If there is any weak point to this process at all, it occurs in remote areas in which there’s small or no Wi-Fi. But, with commercial, world wide web satellite Wi-Fi now on the marketplace, that dilemma will very likely be cleared up as nicely.
