The Western Fire Chiefs Association launched Fire Tech U to address the growing need for effective technology integration within the fire service. In the second webinar of the series, Jason Brooks, CEO of Fire Aside, led a discussion on how departments can better define and meet their technical requirements when adopting new tools. Guest speakers included Battalion Chiefs Paul Cada of Vail Fire & Emergency Services and Battalion Chief Todd Lando of the Central Marin Fire Department, who shared their firsthand experiences with technology adoption and system modernization.
The session began by emphasizing why clearly defined technical requirements are essential. Miscommunication between operational needs and final products often leads to tools that fail to deliver value. By clearly defining the problem from the start, agencies can ensure that technology provides the functional “swing” they truly need, rather than just a new gadget.
A key example came from Marin County, California, where a local tax measure funded wildfire mitigation efforts and technology development. Fire Aside partnered with Central Marin Fire Department to replace outdated paper inspection forms with a modern digital platform. Lessons from this partnership included the value of using small, focused teams, prioritizing essential features, consolidating feedback through a single point of contact, and ensuring that resident-facing tools are both seamless and reliable.
In Vail, Colorado, the fire department’s experience moving from homegrown to integrated systems provided another strong case study. Initially, the department relied on a patchwork of GIS, Excel, and IT tools that proved fragile and difficult to scale. Transitioning to Fire Aside brought greater consistency, improved data analytics, and better communication with residents. This process also demonstrated that homegrown systems could help identify non-negotiable needs, enterprise platforms reduce maintenance burdens, and internal “super-users” play a vital role in successful adoption.
A third case study focused on developing a technology roadmap. Departments were encouraged to provide their tech partners with well-defined problems rather than proposed solutions. Effective feedback should combine a clear description of the issue, specific examples, and an understanding of urgency—whether the need is mission-critical or simply enhances quality of life. Central Marin’s collaboration with Fire Aside to streamline inspection scheduling and dispatch was highlighted as an example of how strong feedback and co-development can improve operational efficiency at scale.
The discussion concluded with a set of best practices:
- Involve frontline users and tech teams early in the development process
- Focus on defining the operational problem before proposing technical features
- Start small with pilot projects and refine before expanding
- Maintain ownership and control over agency data
- Designate internal champions to lead training and standardize technology use
Overall, the webinar reinforced that fire service technology succeeds when it is built collaboratively with the end users in mind. Moving from outdated or homegrown systems to scalable, integrated platforms can dramatically increase efficiency, enhance resident engagement, and strengthen wildfire resilience. When technical requirements are clearly defined and development remains problem-driven, technology becomes a true operational asset rather than a distraction.
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