NFPA Journal - January/February 2018 - 64

First Responder by Ken Willette

DISPATCHES
FROM THE
EMERGENCY
RESPONDER
COMMUNITY

Tech Trap
AS WE INCREASINGLY RELY ON OUR GADGETS FOR INFORMATION, ARE FIRE
SAFETY PROFESSIONALS LOSING THE ABILITY TO THINK FOR THEMSELVES?

uring a recent visit with

as a face mask or the regulator housing
my five-year-old grandof a self-contained breathing apparatus
daughter, she asked if I
(SCBA). This means that every firefighter
wanted to play doctor.
could have a TIC and the ability to "see"
Expecting to be handed a
through smoke to locate victims and
play kit with a stethoscope and reflex
evaluate where fire may be hidden based
hammer, I was dumbfounded when she
on heat signatures within a room. Great,
instead handed me a small story book,
right? Maybe.
then gripped another book with one
Just because technology can produce
hand and said "OK Pep, start typing." As
a new widget or enhance an existing
she began furiously tapping the book in
tool doesn't mean it's the best thing for
her hand, I was puzzled. Then it clicked:
the firefighter. Does every firefighter
she associates trips to the doctors with a
need to have the thermal signature of
person typing away on a tablet, not with
the room displayed on their SCBA face
There is no doubt
stethoscopes, needles, and bandages. I
piece? Will this take their focus off the
technology has
couldn't help but wonder: Is this focus
task at hand, like a tablet might take a
brought huge
on the digital a good thing?
doctor's focus away from carefully listenimprovements to
This technological paradigm shift of
ing to a patient? What is the potential for
the fire service,
course isn't limited to hospitals. We see
information overload and overwhelmbut there can also
it everywhere, and we are more reliant
ing the firefighter's ability to analyze
be unintended
on it than ever, including in fire and
the environment, evaluate the risk, and
consequences to
emergency services. It got me thinking
implement tactical actions? Does it
an over-reliance on
about how our younger members view
create a generation of firefighters prone
that technology.
the job, and how that has changed since
to relying on data from various devices
I started in the fire service. There is no
instead of relying on their ability to read
doubt that technology has brought huge
a situation?
improvements in apparatus, protective
Tools are essential to the fire service,
gear, and tools used during emergency
and I have seen firsthand the potential
incidents, but there is another side to consider. Whether it's a
and real-world impact they can have on saving lives. Firedoctor spending an entire examination typing on a tablet and
fighters today are safer and better equipped than ever before
not making a personal connection to the patient, or a firefighter
on the fireground, and can utilize technology with ease and
relying on "artificial intelligence" instead of having the skills
confidence. There is much to be said for that. But there is
to read a situation on the fireground, there can be unintended
also something to be said for skills such as assessing the fire
consequences to an over-reliance on technology that we must
and forecasting where it will travel next, understanding the
be careful to avoid.
conditions inside a room based on visual cues, and developing
Thermal imaging cameras (TIC) are a good example of
real-time intelligence by observing the impact of firefighter
technology's benefit and risk to firefighters. These devices,
actions on the fire. I fear those essential skills are eroding as
which allow firefighters to see areas of heat through smoke
we put more faith in our gadgets.
and darkness, cost close to $20,000 when first introduced in
Academy instructors and firehouse leaders need to be vigilant
the late 1980s, and most departments could only afford one.
in ensuring these practical and lifesaving skills aren't lost.
Today, TICs are much cheaper, have more capability, and are so
small that they can be integrated into other equipment, such Ken Willette is first responder segment director at NFPA.

64 | NFPA JOURNAL * J A N U A R Y / F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8

MICHAEL HOEWELER

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - January/February 2018