Bill Schrier writes, “Internet of Things” or IoT is a common buzzword in the technology community these days. It refers to the increasingly prevalent distribution of sensors throughout the natural world, and the connection of those sensors – as well as other machines – to the Internet.
The running joke is that IoT is about putting your home refrigerator, thermostat, washer, dryer, microwave, range, TVs, computers, smart phones and even toasters on the Internet, or at least connecting them so they can talk to each other. Now what a toaster would say to a TV, or what the conversations between a washer and a dryer might include, could certainly make for a lot of talk show jokes and lists on a David Letterman show (should he return).
But clearly creating such an “Internet of Household Things” or IoHT would be quite useful. Take, for example, the urgent water crisis in California and throughout most of the West. If you could add sensors to every water fixture in the house, and then connect those sensors to computers and smartphones, you could determine where your water is being used and take steps to cut back use. Going one step further, if those water sensors also had valves, you could control your household water use from anywhere in the world. So when your teenager’s shower has gone over five minutes in length, you could abruptly get a notification and then shut off the water (or turn on the cold water full blast) from your hotel room in Hong Kong.
How might this Internet of Things concept apply to First Responders – the paramedics and firefighters and police officers who respond to our 911 calls?
I recently had a twitter conversation about this with Ray Lehr, former fire chief in Baltimore, and former FirstNet State Point of Contact (SPOC) for Maryland. Ray suggested we should start talking about the Internet of Life Saving Things (IoLST) which I morphed into a possible Internet of First Responder Things (IoFRT).
There are many applications for the IoFRT, and I’d guess they fall into several buckets:
- First Responder Personal Things – the sensors and equipment which would be on or near a First Responder to help that officer do the job and keep the officer safe.
- 911 Caller and Victim Things – these sensors would help alert 911 centers and responders to problems so First Responders can quickly and accurately respond to calls for assistance.
- Information and Awareness Things – these sensors and machines would improve public safety by monitoring the natural and built environments.
Seattle Police Body Worn Video
“First Responder Personal Things” would include a variety of sensors and communication devices. Body worn video cameras – so much in the news recently after the events in Ferguson, Missouri – are one example of an IoFRT device. Most such cameras today record their video and hold it in the device. But if wirelessly connected to the Internet (by, say, FirstNet), a police commander, 911 center and other authorized users could see the video in real time to advise and support the officer.
Read more of Bill’s blog here: https://schrier.wordpress.com/2015/05/25/the-internet-of-first-responder-things-iofrt/