Hopefully you were following our Twitter account last Tuesday and learned all about the International Forum to Advance First Responder Innovation (Forum). S&T is excited to be a founding member of the Forum, a partnership of international government leaders focused on enhancing and expanding the development of affordable, innovative technology for first responders worldwide. The Forum is currently working to characterize the first responder market and define a list of common capability gaps – technology issues, needs, tools and challenges collected from first responders – to allow industry to better develop solutions.
The Forum is composed of representatives from the United States and Australia, Canada, European Commission, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. To identify specific responder capability gaps, it will study global purchasing trends, state-of-the-art technologies and member input.
The Forum’s Twitter Chat, hosted by S&T Program Manager K. Phil Waters, was a first step towards the group’s greater mission of bringing together key stakeholders — including first responders, industry, the media and the general public — for a conversation about what the current marketplace looks like and what the shared vision and solutions will be. The chat was presented from the perspective of S&T as one of the many Forum partners and highlighted several main objectives that will be carried out in coming months:
- Defining a list of common global capability gaps,
- Characterizing global first responder markets,
- Working with the research and development community to promote innovative and affordable technology for first responders,
- Educating first responders about available technology, and;
- Improving the safety and security of first responders and citizens around the world.
In addition, market data was presented as a teaser for the Forum’s Global First Responder Market Overview Synopsis, which will present a cohesive look at first responder data from all the Forum’s international partners. The report will be released via the Forum’s website later this year. Waters also introduced the Forum’s forthcoming Stakeholder Engagement Committee, which will serve as the primary vehicle for interaction with both first responders and industry. The Stakeholder Engagement Committee is expected to be established soon; prospective members should visit www.internationalresponderforum.org for more information.
The Twitter Chat served as a precursor to the Forum’s planned activities in London in early March. In addition to the Annual Forum Meeting, where the Forum’s leaders come together to discuss objectives for the remainder of the year, the Forum will participate in the UK Home Office 2016 Security and Policing Event. Following the Forum’s activities in London, Forum leaders will participate in two speaking engagements at the International Wireless Communications Exposition in Las Vegas, Nevada. Follow #STTechTalk to view the details of the Twitter Chat, and email info@internationalresponderforum.org to contact the Forum about the details of its upcoming conference activity for March.