Tablet Command & THE
of Fire Technology Firefighter entrepreneurs Andy Bozzo and Will Pigeon embarked on a journey into the tech world to provide an innovative solution in the prevention of workplace tragedies, streamline fire incident command and scene control, and ultimately, answer the question of how firefighters can optimize their resources and make for the best onscene fire management possible. Andy has 24 years of experience in the fire service in California and Washington State and is currently a Fire Captain with a large Northern California Fire Department. Will began in the fire service in 1998 and previously served the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District as an Assistant Fire Chief. He oversaw the Communications Division of the Fire District including the 911 Center, Radio, Telecomm, and Information Technology. Like many great ideas that inspire change, it began with a story of tragedy, something 34
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founder Andy Bozzo says is one of the main reasons he has committed the last 12 years to the growth and success of Tablet Command.
“WE HA D T WO L INE O F D U T Y D E AT H S IN 200 7 , T H E T E NT H Y E A R O F M Y CAREER . T H E F IR E F IG H T E R S D IE D IN A WAY T H AT SE E M E D A V E RY SIM P L E , A BREA D - A ND - B U T T E R F IR E O N PAPER - B U T IT WA SN’ T. It was a chain of events that led to their tragic demise…they were doing the same things we always do at these fires – it's not like they did anything exotic,” explains Andy. “If I had to point a finger of blame, it would be at how the call came in. The house had been monitored by a private, out-of-state alarm company. The residents, elderly and infirm, got a call from the alarm company
asking if they were ok, and they said ‘No. There’s a fire!’ The private alarm company with a dispatch center in Florida called our dispatch center and reported a fire alarm. That’s a huge difference in nuance. There is also a huge difference in response. So there they were a single-engine response, rolling up the street and seeing a column of smoke. They were behind the eight ball with two residents trapped so they went into rescue mode." “The other unfortunate event was the way the home was constructed with eight to ten-foot ceilings that held the heat in, plus a rain roof built on top. When the vent crews went in to ventilate, they let out steam and smoke, but not the true heat in the room. Ultimately, the fire turned on the firefighters and flashed over when they were searching for the second victim.”
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