Smart Firefighting
Technology
About
Smart Firefighting Podcast covers real-world deployments of smart technologies through conversations with technologists, innovators, companies, and forward-thinking public safety and government agencies. Learn from interviews with leaders as they share their insights and offer their expertise every week!Host Kevin Sofen is a co-founding member of the Smart First Responder Community who loves to explore change management and technology in public safety.
Episodes
- Episode 319: How Garage Is Fixing the Broken Secondary Market for Fire Apparatus with Martin Hunt
The secondary market for fire apparatus runs on Facebook groups, newspaper classifieds, and local auctions. A small town in Texas budgeted $100,000 for a used truck sale. Garage got them $1.3 million. That is what happens when you put infr…
- Episode 318: Training Is Lived, Not Lectured - VR Training for Firefighters with Evan Sitler-Bates and Drew MacNeil from XpertVR
Firefighters train all year, but most of it is death by PowerPoint. Evan Sitler-Bates and Drew MacNeil , co-founders of XpertVR, are building a different answer: immersive virtual reality simulations where firefighters actually do the work…
- Episode 317: Bridging Firefighters and Engineers Through Leadership and Trust with Mark Reilly
What does leadership really look like when lives are on the line? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empow…
- Episode 316: Why Mental Health Conversations Matter in the Fire Service with Max Cottingham
It’s okay to not be okay. The question is, who notices? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to…
- Episode 315: When Fire Protection Has No Rulebook with Alex Starkey
What happens when fire protection standards do not apply? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU t…
- Episode 314: Reducing Risk Before It Becomes Disaster with Emma Whale & Amanda Leck
What does risk really mean when the stakes are rising for entire communities? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry expert…
- Episode 313: Why First Responders Need One Global Language for Safety with Kurt Vollmacher
How do you prepare firefighters for risks that did not exist 10 years ago? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts t…
- Episode 312: From Close Call to Safer Fireground Operations with Matt Simmonds
What starts as a routine task on the fireground can quickly turn into a life threatening moment. For Matt Simmonds, that moment came while rolling hose after a fire, when a passing vehicle nearly struck his crew. That close call sparked a…
- Episode 311: Moving Communities Out of Harm’s Way with Gavin Smith
What happens when a community faces the reality that staying in place is no longer safe? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology indu…
- Episode 310: Bridging the Gap Between Fire Engineering and the Fire Service with Fiona Perrin
What happens when the people who design buildings and the firefighters who respond to emergencies inside them stop talking to each other? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via…
- Episode 309: What Aviation Emergencies Teach Us About Coordination and Preparedness with Greg Pobar
Aviation is one of the safest forms of transportation in the world, but that safety depends on careful preparation for events everyone hopes will never happen. Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real…
- Episode 308: A Global Alliance to See Fire Before It Spreads with Karen O’Connor
What if every fire agency could detect a wildfire within minutes of ignition and track it in near real time? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service…
- Episode 307: Why Cooking Fires Still Drive So Many Fire Calls with Kevin Callahan & Will Boake
Why do cooking fires keep happening even when people know better? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empow…
- Episode 306: Why Time Matters Most in Fireground Decision-Making with Peter Dekkers
How many decisions do you make in seconds on the fireground, and what happens if technology slows you down? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service…
- Episode 305: What Experience Teaches Us About Risk And Resilience with Sophia Curnow
What does a farming background teach you about firefighting, risk, and resilience? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry e…
- Episode 304: When Fire Engineering Fails, Firefighters Pay the Price with Richard Mills
What happens when a building is not as safe as everyone assumed it was? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that…
- Episode 303: Global Fire Leadership and the Power of One Voice with Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell
What happens when fire leaders from around the world sit down with one shared purpose: to protect communities before disaster strikes? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via in…
- Episode 302: How Expert Incident Leaders Think Under Pressure with Claire Cooper
When everything feels uncertain, what guides your decisions? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YO…
- Episode 301: Turning Complex Equipment Management Into Clear Peace of Mind with Rob Stirling
Ever picked up a piece of gear and wondered if you could trust it? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empo…
- Episode 300: Inside the Mission of Rapid Intervention Teams with Steven Kaiser
What protects firefighters when everything changes in an instant? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empow…
- Episode 299: Fire Service Leadership, Climate Truth, and the Courage to Speak Up with Greg Mullins
How do you stay honest about risk when the world around you is changing faster than the systems meant to protect it? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire…
- Episode 298: Building Safer Communities Through Fire Engineering and Frontline Experience with Jeremy Fewtrell
What does it look like when a fire service treats prevention and response as one mission? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology ind…
- Episode 297: From Beavers to Buybacks: How Nature Shapes Disaster Preparedness with Andrew Gissing
What does it really mean to build disaster resilience in a changing world? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts t…
- Episode 296: From Vibe Coding to Real Change, Fireant’s Vision for Smarter Solutions with Thomas Mynott
How can technology rebuild trust and reduce admin burdens for volunteers in fire and emergency services? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and…
- Episode 295: Hydrogen and the Future of Decarbonization in Public Safety with Paul Medwell
Hydrogen is often called the fuel of the future, but what does it really mean for public safety? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technol…
- Episode 294: How Firestory Helps Agencies Predict, Prepare, and Protect with Olivia Breed
How do we turn overwhelming data into meaningful, life-saving action? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that e…
- Episode 293: How LA Fought Twelve Fires in Fifteen Days with Chief Tony Marrone
Wind picks up, embers are flying...what stands between you and loss? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that em…
- Episode 292: Turning Climate Data into Safer Cities with Peter Thompson & Barry Evans
What if we could predict the next wildfire before it started? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower Y…
- Episode 291: Driving Change and Innovation in Fire Service Training with Casey Grant
What are measurable, standardized ways to evaluate training across departments? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry expe…
- Episode 290: Volunteer Fire Service, Training Barriers, and the Future of Recruitment with Brittany Hollerbach
What are the essential factors for firefighter readiness and retention? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that…
- Episode 289: Enhancing Firefighter Training and Exploring AI with John Oates
How can we strengthen firefighter training without replacing traditional methods? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry ex…
- Episode 288: Standardizing Immersive Learning for the Fire Service with Dr. Kate Kapalo
What is the future of fire service training? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop you…
- Episode 287: Building the Fire Academy of the Future with Ken Willette
What are essential elements of the fire academy of the future? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower…
- Episode 286: Building Simple, Scalable Tech for Firefighters and Warfighters with Paul Couston
Here’s why technology must fit seamlessly into firefighter operations: Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that…
- Episode 285: TAK for First Responders with Brian Alligood from Draper Labs
Why does the TAK ecosystem work? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own S…
- Episode 284: Using TAK to Navigate Crisis Zones with Free Burma Rangers with Miles Vining
How can open-source tools make a real difference when traditional systems are failing? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology indust…
- Episode 283: CoTAK and the Push for Real-Time Emergency Coordination with Ben Miller
How can you focus on the mission, not the noise? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop…
- Episode 282: How TAK Started and Where It’s Going with Ralph Kohler
How did TAK become a widespread, indispensable tool for military and civilian first responders? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technolo…
- Episode 281: Action Demonstrates Priority in the Fire Service with Erin McGruder
Let’s talk about practical, hands-on firefighter training: Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU…
- Episode 280: The Hottest Issue in Firefighting with Ryan Darley
What kind of fires burn hotter and faster than anything firefighters have faced before? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology indus…
- Episode 279: Law Enforcement Embraces Tech-Driven Drone Support with Zach Finfrock
Is technology a part of the job now? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very o…
- Episode 278: Harnessing Tech for Real-World Firefighting Challenges with Kevin Swat
Tech isn’t just a toy. Tech helps save lives. Here’s how: Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU t…
- Episode 277: Space-Based Forest Fire Monitoring with OroraTech with Thomas Grübler
How is forest fire monitoring changing for the better? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to d…
- Episode 276: Utilizing Technology in Fire Service Training with Steve Kaiser
Here’s why you gotta be more curious: Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very…
- Episode 275: Using IoT and AI for Fire Detection with Rob Vernon
Let’s talk about the importance of measuring what matters in the fight against climate change… Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technolog…
- Episode 274: Striving to Be 1% Better Every Day with Sirena Allen-de Guzman
A new firefighter’s journey into the fire service: Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to devel…
- Episode 273: Accelerating Technologies for Global Problems with Satellites with Preetham Akula
How are intelligent satellites revolutionizing wildfire response? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empow…
- Episode 272: Creating Safer and More Inclusive Organizations with Quinn Cramer
How can we increase diversity in the fire service? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to devel…
- Episode 271: The Role of Drones in Emergency Response with Russell Turner
What are the benefits of using drones for emergency response? Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower Y…
- Episode 270: Providing Global Fire Capability and Data Equity with Karen O’Connor
Here’s how Earth Fire Alliance is enhancing global fire monitoring: Hello Smart Firefighting Community! Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that emp…