Fire Service Technology:
The modern fire service is characterized by increased interactions between fire researchers and service in general. The interactions have mainly been geared towards producing research outcomes that can be utilized to enhance the effectiveness and safety of firefighters. As part of the development of suitable fire service technology, recent research results have shown that changes in construction methods and fuel loads have impacted the fire environment within residential structures ("Fire Fighting Research Online," 2013). While the changes have transformed the conventional fire behavior, they have also contributed to significant changes in fire equipment. The research outcomes have not only brought changes to fire behavior and equipment but have also resulted in the development of fire service technologies that are currently used and continue to have tremendous impacts.
Examples of Technologies in Fire Service:
The first technology used in fire service is the World Wide Web that has emerged as a major way of delivering information to users and has been accompanied with tremendous growth in the recent past. Through this technology, users can easily access information without any obstacles associated with distance and time (Jennings, n.d.). The ease has mainly been fueled and enhanced by extended online document delivery that eliminates hindrances to information delivery. Fire service has mainly used this technology to conduct web-based information dissemination. In essence, World Wide Web is used in fire service to provide necessary information in analysis of fire service issues and fire policy concerns. As a result, it enables collection of performance data for fire services that is used to guide fire and emergency protection initiatives.
Geographic Information System (GIS) is a computerized technology that connects geographic with descriptive information. In this case, geographic information refers to where things are whereas descriptive information refers to what things are like. As a result, the technology is used in fire service to obtain, display, and evaluate data spatially ("GIS Technology and Applications for the Fire Service," 2006). GIS technology is increasingly used in fire service because effective response cannot be constantly accomplished without sufficient preparedness and planning. This technology supports preparedness, planning, incident management, and response while extending the capability of maps to become more intelligent and interactive.
In light of the increasing focus on integration of smart technologies for multi-criteria fire detection, the third example of fire service technology is advance signal analysis. This technology involves the use of software that converts sensor signals into mathematical formulas ("Advances Spark New Age of Fire Safety," 2012). This technology has been recently adopted in fire service in order to enhance value, reliability, and simplicity. The software in this technology actively compares signal data to complex algorithms that help in distinguishing a fire emergency and harmless smoke in real-time. In addition, smoke detection systems constantly monitor the air and utilize a programmed alarm sequence to determine the need for response.
Impact of these Technologies in Future Direction of Fire Service:
The use of the World Wide Web is likely to increase the…
