prabhuDigital innovation agency Brandwidth has won a new brief for the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
The agency will produce a n x-ray-style solution that it says will help fire commanders ‘see through walls’ to protect firefighters in situations of particular risk.
Brandwidth will use a combination of data-gathering sensors to track firefighters’ locations. The data will then be visualised for commanders in a schematic, showing where individuals are on each floor of a building and highlighting any unusual movement.
As well as providing support in dangerous situations, it is hoped that the technology will also help fire services develop more robust auditing practices.
Brandwidth’s appointment to the brief follows a competitive five-way pitch that developed from an RFI receiving around 120 responses.
Brandwidth CEO Jason Jones said: “Winning one of the two final spots in this process, which saw us compete against defence contractors, incumbent firefighter OEMs and engineering specialists, is a huge validation of our agile, innovation-led approach.
“It’s been a humbling experience working with the Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, and we’re delighted to have built such a strong partnership with them. Our close relationship has enabled us to create a cutting-edge, potentially life-saving solution to their everyday challenges.”
Steve McLinden, group manager at Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, said: “Our fire commanders often have very little information about where a firefighter is, once they’re deployed beyond the threshold of a building. This highly innovative solution from Brandwidth should transform our ability to track and protect our firefighters in high-risk situations.
“We were really impressed with Brandwidth’s collaborative approach to our brief. They worked closely with us to help define our challenges and agree a clear direction, with a direct interface between the tech requirements and our end users, the fire commanders and fire fighters on the ground.”
