NFPA Journal - Spring 2024 - 8

Editor's Note by Scott Sutherland
Executive Editor, NFPA Journal
A Challenge
A
t some point in the production
of this issue, I realized I'd
attached the word " challenge, "
or some close derivative of it,
to the headline of nearly every
story. " Challenges for artificial intelligence, "
for example, along with " new challenge
for marine transport, " " data challenges for
the fire service, " " challenging Congress to
reauthorize fire service grants, " and so on.
Two stories shared the phrase " promise and
challenge " for a while until the repetition
was recognized and amended. I'm sure there
were a few more examples in the mix that
I'm forgetting, but you get the idea.
The wording of the setup may vary from
story to story to spare you the redundance,
but that doesn't change their central feature,
which is a description of challenges and
how they are being addressed. In our cover
story, " Our AI Future, " starting on page 22,
it's the challenge of developing and applying
artificial intelligence, primarily predictive AI,
to the world of fire and life safety. AI holds
vast promise as a tool that can assist fire
departments, public health agencies, authorities
having jurisdiction, and myriad other
stakeholders in recognizing patterns and
creating efficiencies for faster, more effective
responses to a range of safety problems.
As this work continues, though, a chorus
of voices is urging care in the development
of those tools and caution in their application.
They argue that AI doesn't mean we
accept without question what the algorithm
produces; rather, we should approach AI as
another tool-albeit an especially powerful
one-to accompany our experience and
observation in the creation of the best solution
to a problem. As challenges go, there
are none more complex, or with as many
far-reaching ramifications for the entirety of
the fire and life safety ecosystem, as the evolution
of these new AI tools.
In " Choppy Waters " on page 54, the
challenge is the safe marine transport of
lithium-ion batteries and the vast array of
products that contain those batteries, from
vaping devices to electric vehicles. In " Data
Reboot " on page 36, the challenge is the
development of an ambitious fire service
data tool-a dynamic " information system, "
in the words of one observer-that advocates
say will not only replace the outdated
50-year-old tool currently in use but will
utilize AI features to dramatically expand
its capabilities. And in " No Time to Waste, "
our lead " Dispatches " piece on page 12, we
lay out the challenges surrounding a Congressional
reauthorization of federal grant
programs for the fire service that have been
invaluable in addressing staffing, training,
and resource needs for decades.
It says something about the current
state of the fire and life safety world that
we're faced with so many challenges, and
that more await us around every corner.
Addressing them will require a collective and
sustained effort. We have no doubt you're
up to the challenge.
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8 | NFPA JOURNAL * SPRING 2024
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Scott Sutherland
ssutherland@nfpa.org
ART DIRECTION
EmDash
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Jesse Roman
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Ellen M. Cosgrove
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