Qwake and webAI set emergency response focus on fire departments
Iain Hoey
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Emergency response partnership begins with fire departments
webAI has announced a strategic collaboration with Qwake Technologies to assess predictive AI capabilities for emergency response, starting with fire departments.
The company said the work is intended to combine webAI’s edge intelligence infrastructure with Qwake’s critical operations platform to give incident commanders better information during incidents.
The collaboration is centred on moving AI into field use by bringing intelligence to where data originates.
The companies said this could create a practical tool for the fireground and could help operators, command staff and city leaders manage risk and improve operational effectiveness without additional resources.
How the companies described the work
webAI said Qwake currently embeds sensors and AI into emergency environments, including on people and vehicles, and that the two companies are examining how a predictive edge intelligence system could support the modern fireground.
David Stout, founder and CEO of webAI, said: “AI shouldn’t live in a distant cloud.
“It should be a practical tool that helps people in their own communities.
“Through our collaboration with Qwake, we see an opportunity to bring edge intelligence to the fireground in a way that could give first responders more real-time, mission-critical technology to stay safe and stay ahead of crisis.”
Sam Cossman, CEO of Qwake, added: “Today, C-THRU puts sensors on the people and vehicles closest to the crisis.
“That gives us real-time data from inside the most dangerous environments on earth.
“webAI’s edge intelligence has the potential to accelerate our roadmap from rapid response to prediction, and that could meaningfully expand how cities protect their communities.”
webAI said the escalation prediction tool is the first step in a wider shared vision for intelligent infrastructure across cities.