Supporting communication and collaboration practices in safety-critical situations

Abstract

In this paper, we present the Firefighter Communication System -- a system designed to enhance and improve firefighter communication during a crisis situation such as a structural fire. The system we present is a half-duplex communication system with an audio horizon for officers and a full-duplex system for standard firefighters. We also address the design for the company commander who simultaneously participates in both systems. These initial designs are the result of ethnographic-style investigations into firefighting practice combined with iterative design.