Helping Fire Departments Plan for a Smarter and Safer Future

What is a ‘Smart City’? According to Wikipedia, it’s an “area that uses different types of electronic Internet of things sensors to collect data and then use these data to manage assets and resources efficiently.” Smart technologies are now being planned into every aspect of the urban environment, and that trend is now trickling down into communities of every size.

To help fire departments plan for a smarter – and safer – future, the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation is hosting the first ever Fire Service Innovation in Safety Symposium on September 24 – 26. It will be held in Philadelphia, an emerging hub of technology and innovation, and will be hosted by Philadelphia Fire Commissioner and OEM Director Adam Thiel. This event will provide fire service personnel, city managers, and interested stakeholders with a unique opportunity to:

  • Hear innovators and change agents from other industries share success stories that can be directly applied to the fire service.
  • See what’s on the horizon for smart technologies that will impact firefighters and fire departments in the near future.
  • Provide input to guide their fire service organizations in taking a leadership role in the “Smart Cities” movement.

The Symposium agenda features some of the most innovative minds in the fire service, technology, urban planning, medicine, and other fields. Here are some highlights:

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Stephen Klasko

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Dr. Klasko, President of Thomas Jefferson University and Jefferson Health, is a transformative leader and advocate for innovation. His track record of success at creating and implementing programs that are shaping the future of healthcare and higher education earned him a place among Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2018. Dr. Klasko is also ranked #2 on Modern Healthcare’s list of Most Influential People in Healthcare.

He and his team have disrupted the medical education system to train creative, team-oriented, and empathetic physicians. They have embraced telemedicine to improve accessibility to care as well as the physician-patient experience. Dr. Klasko acknowledges that, “Information is everything,” and has advanced the use of data analytics and mathematical modeling to reduce the unpredictability of medical treatments and to improve and measure outcomes. It will take innovative and entrepreneurial individuals like Dr. Klasko to reimagine the fire service of tomorrow and recreate ways to identify and develop future leaders.

Christopher Molaro

Christopher Molaro
Chris Molaro is an Army veteran who served as a captain deploying in support of combat operations to Iraq in 2011 and was awarded a Bronze Star. He is the founder and CEO of NeuroFlow, a leader in digital mental health technology and analytics now used by hundreds of clinics and hospitals to coordinate behavioral health care improving access and engagement – a problem Chris witnessed when serving in the Army. In 2018, the company was named a top mental health company by MedTech Boston and most innovative technology by the 2018 Psych Congress.

Stephen Kerber

Stephen Kerber
As Director, Steve Kerber has built UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (UL FSRI) into the national leader in fire service research in the areas of ventilation, structural collapse, and fire dynamics. In addition to presenting at the Symposium, UL FSRI is hosting an open house at their Delaware County Emergency Services Training Center facility on Friday, September 27th from 9 am to 12 pm.

Support for the Fire Service Innovation in Safety Symposium is provided through a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Fire Prevention & Safety grant, and by our generous sponsors. To find out ways your company can support this event, please visit our event page.

For more information or questions, please contact Tricia Sanborn.

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