According to IAFC, the council will strive to advance the fire and emergency services to be on the leading edge of technological adaptation. The initiative will work to promote an environment that encourages and supports innovation to drive the adoption, adaptation and acceptance of technological solutions within a standards-based, interoperable framework.
“As I travel the country speaking with fire chiefs, technology and how to use it is an issue that we consistently face,” said IAFC President Chief Steven P. Westermann, CFO. “The council will bring answers to the fire service.”
While the council will serve the needs of the fire and emergency service foremost, it also will provide a forum for information and knowledge exchange among many different stakeholders, including fire chiefs and their staff, public-safety organizations and vendors.
The council will be chaired by Fire Chief Charles L. Werner of Charlottesville, Va. Council members come from a diverse background of departments, regions and talents.
“I’m looking forward to the council’s continued growth,” said Werner. “The council is working hard to meet the needs of the fire service by engaging with manufacturers, research and development agencies and every fire-service organization.”
The work will be divided among subcouncils, with the following goals:
- National policy – to support the adoption of standardized policies and procedures.
- Model framework – to support the development and refinement of standards.
- Best practices – to be an information source on current and emerging technologies and their applications.
- Education and training – to support the creation of a national training curriculum.
- Outreach and advocacy – to educate the fire and emergency service to a higher level of understanding.
The council will seek expert opinion from many different fields and will conduct projects based on the requests of the fire and emergency services. ESRI Inc. provided the council’s development funding.