Fire Chief 6/9/09
A few weeks ago, I wrote about
how FDNY Chief Salvatore Cassano’s life has changed since the
establishment of a state-of-the-art fire department operations
center in its headquarters in Brooklyn. The new center means
Cassano no longer goes to an incident. Instead, he leads his
teams remotely using a cadre of wireless technology to support
his decision-making.
Some readers said the chief now sits in “an ivory tower” while
firefighters hit the ground running. First of all, the chief is
a 40-year veteran of the department. He’s been on the job
fighting fires — and putting his life on the line — long before
the security of modern technologies, including two-way radio and
communications systems.
In fact, firefighters didn’t always have access to such
technologies. Old-school techniques were used instead. It
reminds me of stories told to me by my father, a retired Chicago
Fire Department lieutenant, about the communication systems he
used when he was first on the job.
“We just yelled out to each other,” he told me. “It was a very
reliable system.”
FDNY’s move to have its chief run
incidents remotely isn’t about hierarchy. It is about using
technology to fill in operational gaps. The whole point of the
FDOC is to increase the amount of voice and data communications
throughout the fire department. It acts as the communications
nerve center that lets the FDNY monitor operations at its 198
engine and 143 ladder companies. Cassano said it is used for
both day-to-day and command-and-control operations for
large-scale emergency incidents. Data transmitted over secure
phone lines and computers are viewed on a wall-mounted,
curved-screen panel where commanders review video and other
data. Such data helps them make high-level decisions that keep
citizens and firefighters safe, he said.
In addition, the FDNY recently armed its fleet of vehicles with
an automatic vehicle location system. Cassano said the system
tracks every apparatus. Moreover, the department now has the
ability — through an agreement with the New York Police
Department — to place fire officers aboard police helicopters so
an aerial command view is available.
Cassano stands by the system and his new role. He said all of
the aforementioned upgrades at the FDOC were crucial in handling
the US Airways flight 1549 crash in the Hudson River in January.
When the plane crashed, Washington officials called New York
command and control to determine whether the wreck was
terrorist-related. Officers on the city’s Joint Terrorism Task
Force dispelled the notion. The chief was working out of the
FCOC that day and had a visual of the plane floating on the
river from the media, as well as a helicopter view. He also was
in contact with the FAA and area hospitals. At the same time, he
communicated all data via radio to his operations chief 10 miles
away.
“I had a handle on what was going on much sooner, much more
accurately, than anyone on the scene,” he said. “It was the vast
amount of information received and managed at the center that
helped me and my team seamlessly manage the incident.”
So it’s essential that fire chiefs tap into technology — and
yes, this has changed the nature of their jobs. But to say for
ego sake that a chief is better suited to be on the ground
rather than armed with all the appropriate information is silly.
To lead, a chief must have reliable information. And a leader
must protect his people. Armed with technology and information,
that’s exactly what the chief is doing.
A Big Lesson Learned Fire Chief 5/27/09
New York City Fire Department Operations Center (FDOC) Brooklyn, NY McCann Systems LLC
FDNY FDOC Audio Visual Gallery McCann Systems LLC
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