Fire service innovation isn’t just about adopting the latest technology. It’s about finding better ways to solve real-world problems, improve firefighter safety, strengthen operations, and better protect communities.
At Technology Summit International (TSI) 2025 in Irving, Texas, fire service leaders, technology experts, and forward-thinking companies came together to explore exactly that. For the fourth year, TSI asked a straightforward question: How can technology help us better protect the communities we serve?
Two of the event’s flagship programs—the First Responder Innovation Award and Shark Tank competition —put that question into practice, showcasing solutions already changing the way departments operate and emerging technologies built specifically for public safety.
First Responder Innovation Award: Innovation in Action
The First Responder Innovation Award brought fire departments and agencies to the TSI main stage to showcase technology initiatives solving real operational challenges. These weren’t hypothetical concepts. They were working solutions developed and implemented by people who understand the demands of the fire service firsthand.
The projects demonstrated just how broadly technology is transforming the fire service:
- Anoka County Fire Protection Council created a regional Public Safety Data System connecting 16 fire departments through one real-time platform for incident analytics and pre-incident planning.
- Prescott Fire Department** used Deccan International’s Live MUM technology to improve systemwide unit reliability from 70% to 85% while reducing response times.
- Tulsa Fire Department** launched a Drone as First Responder trial to improve situational awareness and responder safety.
- Chatham County Fire Department** deployed the IntelliHub Drive Camera System for apparatus camera coverage, AI-supported driver monitoring, and real-time scene visibility.
- Southern Manatee Fire Rescue incorporated drones with advanced air-monitoring sensors into hazmat response, reducing technician entries, exposure, and time on scene.
- Houston Fire Department implemented electronic accountability technology integrating radio telemetry and SCBA monitoring to give incident command real-time firefighter status information.
- Odessa Fire Rescue used Darkhorse analytics to identify dispatch delays and simplify initial call types, reducing average dispatch time from 2 minutes, 45 seconds to just 44 seconds.
- El Paso Fire Department connected stations, apparatus, hospitals, and key workflows in one digital environment, reducing redundant documentation and improving access to operational information.
- Fort Worth Fire Department modernized preplanning with First Due, providing crews immediate field access to critical building information and later expanding the system to support police, special events, and unified command.
- Roseville Fire Department incorporated a Rivian R1S and Rosenbauer RTX electric fire engine into its fleet to reduce fuel and maintenance costs while improving safety and ergonomics.
- Texas A&M Forest Service integrated multiple communications technologies to reduce mobile command post setup time by more than 80% and improve connectivity in remote wildfire environments.
- Indianapolis Fire Department partnered with academia and industry to develop interoperable digital tools for smart preplans, indoor tracking, and 2D and 3D digital twins, achieving up to an 85% improvement in indoor tracking accuracy.
- Anne Arundel County Fire Department developed an internet-based station-alerting system with CAD-integrated Pre Alerts, reducing engine company turnout times from more than 70 seconds to 54 seconds.
Each project demonstrated a different way technology can address challenges departments encounter every day.
Award Winner: Oklahoma City Fire Department
Oklahoma City Fire Department (OKCFD) took home the First Responder Innovation Award by addressing a familiar challenge: disconnected workflows, paper-based reporting, and manual administrative processes.
Rig checks, smoke alarm installations, wellness assessments, fitness evaluations, burn permits, company logs, fuel tracking, and personnel documentation were spread across paper-based systems, making it difficult to get a department-wide view of operations.
Instead of investing in an entirely new system, OKCFD used technology it already had through Microsoft 365. With SharePoint, Power Apps, and Power BI, the department created a unified digital ecosystem of mobile applications, automated workflows, and real-time dashboards accessible from rigs and stations.
The results included a 40% reduction in administrative work, improved staffing and readiness visibility, and faster access to information for data-driven decision-making.
The project demonstrated an important lesson: innovation doesn’t always require the newest or most expensive technology. Sometimes it starts by finding a better way to use the tools already available.
Shark Tank: Technology Built for the Fire Service
TSI’s Shark Tank competition shifted the spotlight to emerging technology companies. Startups pitched their solutions directly to fire service leaders and answered questions from professionals who understand what technology needs to accomplish in the field.
The 2025 competitors tackled challenges ranging from mass-casualty response and wildfire intelligence to responder readiness and EMS documentation:
- InfiniTap developed smart triage wristbands and a connected command platform providing real-time patient status, treatment timestamps, and transport tracking during mass-casualty incidents.
- Trident Sensing developed TACFI RS, a wildfire-mapping system that uses compact sensors aboard aircraft already operating over a fire to provide updated fire intensity and movement maps every five minutes.
- Path and Focus created LensVx, a predictive wildfire-modeling tool that enables first responders to quickly simulate fire spread using current or historical weather conditions.
- SmartTec Okaya developed an early-warning readiness system using short video check-ins and AI analysis to identify signs of mental fatigue and cognitive load.
- Peak Response created an AI-powered mobile application designed to streamline EMS documentation and communication during routine incidents and large-scale emergencies.
Shark Tank Winner: Perimeter
Perimeter, led by CEO Bailey Farren, earned the 2025 Shark Tank award with a platform designed to address a persistent emergency-response challenge: keeping agencies and the public aligned during an active incident.
Perimeter provides fire, law enforcement, emergency management, public works, and the public with a shared, real-time map displaying information such as evacuation zones, road closures, shelters, and hazards.
Already used by more than 300 agencies across 15 states, the platform has helped improve coordination, reduce non-emergency 911 calls, and provide faster, clearer public communication through its “one map, one voice” approach.
What TSI 2025 Tells Us About Fire Service Innovation
Oklahoma City Fire Department and Perimeter represent two different paths to innovation.
One is a fire department that looked at its existing technology and found a smarter way to use it. The other is a company developing purpose-built technology around the needs of public safety.
Together—and alongside the full roster of participating departments and startups—they demonstrate that meaningful innovation can come from many places. It doesn’t depend solely on large budgets or major technology companies. It can begin with departments identifying problems in their everyday operations and with entrepreneurs willing to rethink how emergency-response technology should work.
Looking Ahead to TSI 2026
The momentum continues at TSI 2026, December 7–9 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown Hotel in Denver.
IAFC will continue building on the ideas and solutions showcased in Irving while creating opportunities for fire departments, technology leaders, and innovators to move the profession forward.
Stay tuned for more information about TSI 2026, including opportunities for your department or company to get involved.