Bay Area firefighters develop game-changing wildfire technology
Bay Space firefighters create activity-modifying wildfire engineering
Irrespective of whether on an iPad or other tablet, the Bay Spot-developed “Pill Command” process is very little much less than a technological sport changer for firefighters, by firefighters.
SONOMA COUNTY, Calif. – Since the first major firestorms of 2017, large engineering has been improving instruments for firefighters, who still primarily work on the ground and generally with very little facts about how the total struggle is likely.
Two Bay Place firefighters have made an over-all situation awareness application that other firefighters like — and say need to spread to other departments.
Whether or not on an iPad or other pill, the Bay-Region-made “Pill Command” program is almost nothing a lot less than a technological recreation changer for firefighters, by firefighters.
Contra Costa County firefighters William Pidgeon, who is also a laptop or computer science skilled, and Andy Bozzo, a working firefighter, used their authentic planet experiences to occur up with the Tablet Command software.
The software package is now made use of by 265 fireplace departments across North America, and its person variety is increasing day by day.
“I was not prepared to construct a mission crucial software. So we lifted some dollars with good friends and household, developed a enterprise and partnered with a application enhancement corporation to develop the initially model of the application,” stated Pidgeon.
The application is all about the situational recognition of the total fireplace incident, supplying details offered to all incident commanders and initially responders.
“The wonderful point about this, it’s on an iPad, which, for most departments, they can find the money for to buy,” stated Chief Costa.
Right before Tablet Command, laptop computer computer programs that did half as considerably were being, at the very least, two times the price tag. To this working day, any departments nonetheless have only paper notes, paper maps and a radio, with little accessibility to the big photograph.
Two Sonoma County firefighters saw the program operate while they were being on mutual assist incidents, and they fought difficult to carry it to the Bay Location.
“I was blown away. I was like, ‘Wow, we genuinely want to bring this to Sonoma County,’” explained Petaluma Fire Office Assistant Chief Chad Costa.
“It is, by much, arms down, a single of the greatest engineering tools I have at any time utilized,” included Sonoma Valley Fire Battalion Main Spencer Andreis.
Tablet Command involves any area’s fire record, all streets statewide (which include back streets and hearth roads), the area of each and every piece of products and countless numbers of cameras (together with remote utility cameras), local hearth weather conditions and is infinitely expandable.
From the area, firefighters can enter facts in real time, considerably speeding up and bettering responses.
If there’s any weak point to this program at all, it transpires in remote parts wherever there is minor or no Wi-Fi. But, with industrial, web satellite Wi-Fi now on the marketplace, that problem will very likely be cleared up as well.
