Smart Firefighting
Smart Firefighting Podcast covers real-world deployments of smart technologies through conversations with technologists, innovators, companies, and forward-thinking public safety and government agencies. Learn from interviews with leaders as they share their insights and offer their expertise every week!
Host Kevin Sofen is a co-founding member of the Smart First Responder Community who loves to explore change management and technology in public safety.
Listen on:
Episodes
Thursday Sep 18, 2025
Thursday Sep 18, 2025
What are measurable, standardized ways to evaluate training across departments?
Hello Smart Firefighting Community!
Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!
In this episode:
How immersive learning can draw from military, medical, and other industries
The need for more collaborative forums between the fire service and technology providers
The powerful opportunities AI presents for safety and communication
Hear from Casey Grant - the Executive Director at DSRAE, LLC and a Senior Consultant for ESRG: Energy Safety Response Group LLC.
Casey reflects on the evolution of immersive learning in the fire service and how frameworks like the Training Summit are shaping the future. He highlights lessons from other industries, the importance of co-developing solutions with technology providers, and the urgent need to adapt to generational shifts in how firefighters learn.
Casey shares how rubrics, simulators, and collaborative forums can bring efficiency, standardization, and measurable outcomes to training across departments of all sizes. He also explores both the promise and the risks of artificial intelligence as it begins to intersect with fire service operations.
So take a listen to hear what he has to share!
Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Thursday Sep 11, 2025
Thursday Sep 11, 2025
What are the essential factors for firefighter readiness and retention?
Hello Smart Firefighting Community!
Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!
In this episode:
What are the biggest challenges for recruiting volunteer firefighters?
How to fit local needs better and reduce barriers to entry
How can immersive learning tools empower smaller departments?
Hear from Brittany Hollerbach - an Associate Scientist for NDRI-USA, Inc.
Brittany shares findings from her FEMA- and NFPA-funded research on recruitment and retention in the volunteer fire service. She explains why time commitment, not training requirements alone, is a major challenge for volunteers balancing family, work, and service.
Brittany highlights how immersive learning, modular training, and creative community support can lower barriers and strengthen engagement. The conversation also explores broader health and wellness issues, from preventative approaches to the critical role of sleep in firefighter performance and longevity.
So take a listen to hear what she has to share!
Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Thursday Sep 04, 2025
Thursday Sep 04, 2025
How can we strengthen firefighter training without replacing traditional methods?
Hello Smart Firefighting Community!
Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!
In this episode:
What immersive learning’s role should be in firefighter training
How to provide safer, more realistic, and repeatable training experiences
Tips for setting appropriate expectations for different stages of a firefighter’s career
Hear from John Oates - the CEO of the International Public Safety Data Institute (IPSDI).
John shares how immersive learning and simulation can strengthen firefighter training without replacing traditional methods. He emphasizes using technology as an enhancer: bringing training to more places, engaging multiple senses, and improving knowledge transfer through tools like video and simulation.
John also discusses the importance of calibrating expectations for firefighters at different career stages and using rubrics to reduce subjectivity. The conversation closes with his perspective on how artificial intelligence is emerging as a powerful tool for sense-making in public safety.
So take a listen to hear what he has to share!
Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Tuesday Sep 02, 2025
Tuesday Sep 02, 2025
What is the future of fire service training?
Hello Smart Firefighting Community!
Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!
In this episode:
What must immersive learning focus on for greater impact?
What tools help fire instructors measure performance consistently?
Why there’s a need for stronger collaboration between the fire service, industry, and academia
Hear from Dr. Kate Kapalo - a Course Instructor & Instructional Designer for the U.S. Fire Administration, and a Principal Investigator & Adjunct Professor at the Stevens Institute of Technology.
Kate shares her research and perspective on how immersive technologies like VR and simulation can transform fire service training. She highlights the need for standardized rubrics, national alignment, and stronger collaboration between industry and the fire service to ensure training delivers measurable outcomes.
Kate also emphasizes the importance of situational awareness, communication, and building infrastructure to make immersive learning sustainable. This conversation explores how rigorous research can move from academia into practical, real-world training that prepares firefighters for an all-hazards environment.
So take a listen to hear what she has to share!
Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Wednesday Aug 27, 2025
Wednesday Aug 27, 2025
What are essential elements of the fire academy of the future?
Hello Smart Firefighting Community!
Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!
In this episode:
What should immersive learning focus on?
Measurable ways to evaluate training effectiveness
How to customize firefighter training
Hear from Ken Willette, the Executive Director of the North American Fire Training Directors.
Ken dives into how immersive learning and simulation are reshaping the fire service. He shares the evolution from early grant applications to today’s robust projects, emphasizing that technology must serve the learner, not just the gadget.
Ken explains how tools like rubrics and conformity assessments are giving instructors the ability to measure outcomes, bridge generational gaps, and tailor training to every career stage. This conversation highlights the momentum behind VR, simulators, and immersive learning as essential elements of the fire academy of the future.
So take a listen to hear what he has to share!
Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Thursday Aug 21, 2025
Thursday Aug 21, 2025
Here’s why technology must fit seamlessly into firefighter operations:
Hello Smart Firefighting Community!
Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!
In this episode:
Why simpler technology drives better adoption
Proof that science alone isn’t enough without operational usability
How to push through resistance and set the stage for safer operations
Hear from Paul Couston - the co-founder and CEO of Ascent Integrated Tech.
Paul shares his journey from dropping out of engineering school to building rugged solar generators for the Air Force before launching Ascent. He reflects on the early iterations, lessons from failed prototypes, and the importance of designing technology that is operationally relevant and firefighter-driven.
Paul explains how Ascent pivoted from bulky systems to smartwatches, creating a simple, scalable accountability tool that firefighters and incident commanders can use every day. He also discusses leadership, change adoption, and his vision for TAK and wearable tech to reshape safety in both the fire service and the military.
So take a listen to hear what he has to share!
Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Thursday Jul 31, 2025
Thursday Jul 31, 2025
Why does the TAK ecosystem work?
Hello Smart Firefighting Community!
Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!
In this episode:
How can partnerships close the tech adoption gap
How Draper Labs builds tools for firefighters, EMS, and law enforcement
What real collaboration actually looks like
Hear from Brian Alligood from Draper Labs.
Brian shares how his team is building and adapting TAK tools to support first responders, especially those in smaller or under-resourced departments. He brings experience from years of work in space and deep-sea navigation systems, now applied to the practical needs of people on the ground.
The episode highlights what it takes to move technology from federal labs to local agencies and why Draper invests in listening to end users from the start. It’s a grounded conversation about tech, community, and the realities of making useful tools for public safety.
So take a listen to hear what he has to share!
Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Thursday Jul 24, 2025
Thursday Jul 24, 2025
How can open-source tools make a real difference when traditional systems are failing?
Hello Smart Firefighting Community!
Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!
In this episode:
How is TAK filling a critical gap in humanitarian coordination?
How Free Burma Rangers are rebuilding maps from scratch using TAK and local knowledge
Why verified, time-stamped information matters more than ever
Hear from Miles Vining from Free Burma Rangers, a conflict relief organization working in some of the most remote and dangerous regions of Burma and beyond.
Miles breaks down how TAK is being used in the field—not just for coordination and logistics, but for mapping areas that don’t even exist on public maps and documenting war crimes with precision. From carrying casualties out of the jungle in handmade stretchers to overlaying satellite imagery in unmapped regions, Miles shares what it really looks like to operate in places most people never see.
The conversation brings attention to the gaps in humanitarian aid, the role of open-source tools like TAK, and the need for more medical and volunteer support in conflict zones.
So take a listen to hear what he has to share!
Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Thursday Jul 17, 2025
Thursday Jul 17, 2025
How can you focus on the mission, not the noise?
Hello Smart Firefighting Community!
Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!
In this episode:
How did Colorado build a shared infrastructure for all public safety agencies?
What’s the next evolution of PPE?
Insights on enabling true tech adoption
Hear from Ben Miller - the Director of the Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting.
Ben breaks down how CoTAK is helping bring TAK technology into daily operations for fire, law enforcement, and search and rescue teams across Colorado. He explains how CoTAK’s centralized, state-funded model is removing barriers to adoption and turning TAK into real-time software PPE for public safety.
The conversation digs into practical use cases, how agencies can manage data overload, and the leadership required to make meaningful tech adoption happen. Ben also shares why free isn’t the same as valueless, and why it’s time to rethink what modern protective equipment looks like.
So take a listen to hear what he has to share!
Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn
Thursday Jul 10, 2025
Thursday Jul 10, 2025
How did TAK become a widespread, indispensable tool for military and civilian first responders?
Hello Smart Firefighting Community!
Welcome to another episode of covering real world innovations via interviews with fire service and technology industry experts that empower YOU to develop your very own Smart Firefighting strategy!
In this episode:
How TAK got started and its evolution
Insights on the open ecosystem that’s allowed TAK to grow
Why machine learning and shared data are the next frontier
Hear from Ralph Kohler - the Principal Engineer/Senior Advisor at Air Force Research Laboratory.
Ralph shares the story behind TAK: how it started as an idea during early deployments in Afghanistan and grew into an ecosystem now used around the world. He walks through the decisions that made TAK what it is today, including the importance of open intellectual property, community-driven development, and real-world feedback.
The conversation covers key moments in TAK’s evolution, how it's bridging military and civilian use cases, and why shared tools like TAK can unlock innovation across sectors. Ralph also offers a grounded perspective on where the ecosystem is heading next—from machine learning to augmented reality.
So take a listen to hear what he has to share!
Head to www.smartfirefighting.com to discover how SFF accelerates innovation for emergency responders, to find out when our next event is, or review our curated resources!
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn