Why It Matters

The quality and timeliness of situational awareness (SA) greatly impacts the effectiveness and safety of fire fighting. In a 2008 report on factors that contribute to fire fighter injuries in the U.S., situational awareness problems contributed to 37.3 percent of the injuries. SA requires acquiring knowledge of past events, understanding of present circumstances in context, and anticipating future events. It also requires a high degree of communication and coordination up and down the chain of command.

Fire Vision was created to ensure that everyone on scene has access to accurate and reliable information about the site resources and hazards. Below are just two examples of the icons and information associated with those icons included in Fire Vision. There are over 90 preselected icons in Fire Vision.

Use Case – Building Information

Wouldn’t it be great if when you roll up to a fully involved building, you know everything there is to know? This is the building icon that would be displayed on a firefighters mobile device. This icon would appear over a building and display the following information if selected:

  • Building Name
    This is autogenerated (Building ###) unless manually entered
  • GPS Location
    This is an autogenerated point in the center of the volume created by the editor and encompassing the building.
  • Distance
    This is the distance from the user location to the building which is automatically generated via GPS coordinates.
  • Date of Last Inspection
    This is the last date a fire inspection took place and would be entered by the editor user. The above information is followed by general building information such as;
  • Year Built
    MM/DD/YYYY
  • Date of Last Renovation
    MM/DD/YYYY
  • Critical Building Information
    Occupancy, Stories, Area, Use, Construction Type, Roof Type, Roof Access, Windows, Stairwells, Fire Escapes, Detection
  • Sprinkler and Suppression Information
    Areas protected by sprinklers, Areas no protect, Alternative suppression (such as Halon discharge)
  • Critical Information Dispatch System (CIDS) Description
    This provides a text box to put additional relevant information

Use Case – Hazmat Tank Information

This is an example of the liquid tank icon that would be displayed on a firefighter mobile device. This icon would appear over a bulk storage liquid tank and could be co-located with a flammable liquid HAZMAT icon. When selected it would display the following information:

  • Fuel Tank Name
    The name is autogenerated (Fuel Tank ###) unless manually entered
  • GPS Location
    This is an autogenerated point in center of tank volume
  • Distance
    The distance between you and the tank. This is automatically generated via GPS coordinates
  • Tank Information
    Diameter, Height, Construction, Contents, Fire Protection Features, Time to Boil Over, Foam Requirements
  • Radiant Exposer Distances
    A table displaying the compliance distances for radiant heat
  • Date of last inspection Description
    This provides a text box to put additional relevant information