GOVERNMENT SPEAKER: TECHNOLOGY SAVES LIVES

Government speakers (especially safety keynote speakers) are aware of just how much danger first responders can often face on the job. This is especially true for firefighters, who often find themselves in a race against the clock, and have to act without hesitation as every second counts when it comes to saving lives. Moreover, these heroes often find themselves charging headlong into danger with a minimum of information on actual ground conditions within burning buildings and collapsing structures. But what if technology could make scenarios less dangerous – and help firefighters save thousands of lives? Happily, as many government speakers and officials are aware, new innovations in communications and computing are working to do just that. In fact, this technology is even being tested today.

Keep in mind that the clocking is constantly ticking when a fire breaks out, with smoke inhalation the greatest danger to those trapped in a structure that’s on fire. In these scenarios, each passing moment can mean the different between life and death. But now, firefighters can access smart high-tech helmets that boost visibility, improve communications capabilities, and generate 3D maps of buildings, objects, and people by communicating with one another and quickly ingesting and sharing information about surrounding environments. Using augmented reality – computerized pop-up displays which sit atop real world scenes – these solutions not only help firefighters get a better sense of what they’re facing in any scenario, and read on the surrounding terrain. They also quickly convey information to incident commanders in real-time, so the individuals in terms of coordinating these operations can make smarter decisions, and emergency teams can work faster and more efficiently.

As you can see, the ability to generate three-dimensional maps of burning buildings on the fly, and the location of objects and people within them, looks to be a huge boon for firefighters. Boosting safety and response times, they can also leverage these capabilities to plot safe entry and escape routes. Maximizing visibility and insight while minimizing danger in high-threat scenarios, technology is making it possible to better plot and coordinate response efforts while increasing the odds of making it out of a fire safely. So while government speakers often talk about future trends and what’s coming next for technology, remember. There are many practical reasons to think about what the future holds when discussing the shape of tomorrow’s world – none the least of which are the many ways in which it promises to revolutionize the way in which we deal with and respond to emergencies.