Interschutz News – Totally digital: From the “digital twin” to control center technology

Hannover/Germany. Fire brigades, disaster relief workers and rescue services are facing challenges that did not previously exist in this range. This is because the number of operations and the severity of events are increasing: severe weather disasters, vegetation fires, the corona pandemic and the refugee crisis. These are just a few examples. The main theme of INTERSCHUTZ 2022, “Teams, tactics, technology – protection and rescue networked”, sums it up: The world’s leading trade fair for fire brigades, rescue services, civil protection and safety (20 to 25 June 2022) will become a huge showcase for providers of innovative solutions for the present and future – for example in hall 16.

A survey conducted some time ago as part of a study of 650 participants in fire brigades, aid organizations and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief showed that the emergency services are dissatisfied with the digital development in their organizations. From the point of view of the study participants, comprehensive interfaces for compatible IT systems and hardware were considered necessary.

INTERSCHUTZ provides a comprehensive overview of the many possibilities. Stefan Truthän, one of the managing directors of the fire protection engineering office hhpberlin, cites a “digital twin” of hazard prevention as a spectacular example of digital innovations. “This is not about the state of the fire brigade, but about the state of an entire city,” says the expert. “This will turn us into a digital filling station, so to speak, where the fire brigade would receive information about the exact condition of a building, for example, during an operation.” The company will be showing what this could look like in practice in hall 16 at booth F42.

Experience 5G use cases live

One of the prerequisites for such and other plans to become reality and deliver data in real time is the new 5G mobile communications standard. The topic will occupy a wide space at INTERSCHUTZ. For example, various 5G applications will be demonstrated in hall 16 and on the outdoor area – such as the driving of a special signal vehicle in the city traffic of the future, in which automated vehicles will move in addition to human road users.

On the way to a networked fire brigade

Digitalization and networking are also major challenges in the further development of leadership support tools and software. Eurocommand, for example, offers an innovative platform with its 5th generation leadership support software – CommandX CX5 – with which the functionalities known on the market are extended to include mobile applications with live data transfer, dashboards, guard display and the integration of drone data. But networking with each other with different systems is also part of the developments (hall 16/F16).

However, digitization also makes other solutions to problems possible. Eurocommand Managing Director Sascha Pomp comments: “If an operations manager can now monitor and control the room temperature in his own home with his smartphone, why shouldn’t he also get information about the water level in the fire engine or where the approaching vehicles are located via intelligent solutions?”

Geodata is playing an increasingly important role. This was demonstrated not least by the heavy rain disaster last summer in the Ahr Valley. Where they were available, leaders could make faster and more accurate decisions. But geodata can also be useful regardless of large-scale operations. For example, when deciding on the location of a new fire station, as the company Esri emphasizes. Esri will show how this can work in hall 16 at booth H15. By the way, Esri products are used worldwide to visualize the current corona situation, including by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Drones as operational support

And another topic is increasingly coming to the fore: drones. The so-called unmanned aerial vehicles have already proven to be an important tool in hazard prevention in many large and small operations: Whether in the exploration of deployment sites, the search for missing persons or the detection of fire nests with the help of thermal imaging cameras – the application possibilities are manifold and offer scope for innovative ideas.

Three examples at INTERSCHUTZ: The German Rescue Robotics Center (DRZ) will be providing information on robot and drone deployment examples in hall 17 at booth D06. Among other things, the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) is presenting a project called “Live-Lage – Use of drones for the rapid reconnaissance of operational situations”, which was developed together with the Fire Brigade of the German city Duisburg (hall 16, E/F/G16). A start-up from Ludwigsfelde in Brandenburg, Germany has completely different ideas: The company NatureTec is engaged in the development of unmanned cargo drones for fighting forest fires (hall 16/F48).

Digital networking solutions for improved communication

Digital applications are literally limitless. A few more examples: Hexagon/Intergraf shows digital reality solutions that combine sensor, software and autonomous technologies. For more than 30 years, the company has been equipping the police, fire brigade, rescue services, disaster and plant protection with technologies for operations management and resource allocation (hall 16/G42).

Sinus Nachrichtentechnik will be showcasing control center technology for BOS and industry, as well as digital alerting, VoIP telecommunications systems, command and control vehicle (ELW) solutions, radio network systems and much more (hall 16/E15). Swissphone will be showcasing the entire range of comprehensive alerting solutions for a wide variety of industries and a wide variety of tasks – whether for blue light organizations such as fire brigades, rescue services and the police or for authorities and administrations. (hall 16/A06).

Digital networking solutions are offered by three other companies that are also closely networked with each other: Divera, for example, determines the availability of employees and emergency personnel. Among other things, this involves alerting with feedback function or the planning of personnel availability (hall 16/E08). rescueTablet presents software right next door (hall 16/ E06) that provides up-to-date information on the situation and location of the operation, maps map material and hydrant plans, provides rescue cards and offers a central solution for required information. And Status 3 IT (hall 16/E12) offers hardware and software solutions for controlling digital radios in vehicles and radio control panels.

About INTERSCHUTZ

The upcoming INTERSCHUTZ – the world’s leading trade fair for fire brigades, rescue services, civil protection and safety/security – will take place from 20 to 25 June 2022 in Hannover, Germany. The event covers the full array of state-of-the-art gear and services needed for firefighting, fire protection, rescue work, civil protection, telecommunications and control centers as well as personal protective equipment. International INTERSCHUTZ events include: “CEFE powered by INTERSCHUTZ” (11 to 13 May 2022) in Shanghai, China, “AFAC powered by INTERSCHUTZ” (23 to 25 August 2022) in Adelaide, Australia and “REAS powered by INTERSCHUTZ” (7 to 9 October 2022) in Montichiari, Italy.