Another outcome of WPI's close collaboration with the fire service was a series of annual workshops, hosted by WPI's Center for First Responder Technology, that bring together academic and corporate researchers, government agencies, and first responders to share ideas and new research developments, assess the state of the field, and outline future challenges.
The workshops have provided a unique venue where technology developers can learn about the real-world needs of first responders, where first responders can evaluate and critique emerging technology, and where government agencies can develop a clearer picture of how they can spur needed change and technology progress.
Funded in recent years by the DHS Science and Technology Directorate, the workshops have played an instrumental role in accelerating the pace of technological development and raising awareness, nationally, of the pressing need to focus resources and energy on finding solutions to the challenges and hazards that first responders face every day.
