Event Round Up: National Fire Chiefs Council AI Roundtable

This March, techUK was delighted to kick off our newly formed partnership with the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) with a roundtable discussion on the use of artificial intelligence by fire and rescue services. The interactive discussion allowed our speakers Gillian Fyfe, Strategic Digital, Technology & Cyber Lead, NFCC, Andy Hopkinson, Chief Fire Officer for Bedfordshire Fire & Rescue Service and Chair of the NFCC Digital Data and Technology (DDaT) Committee, and Steve Taylor, NFCC Strategic Data Lead, to collaborate with our industry members, in their discussion on the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI in fire and rescue.  

Gillian and Andy began the roundtable by highlighting what they hope to achieve from the discussiont and their future engagement with techUK members now the partnership has been formalised. As such, they hope to benefit from industry expertise that will expose them to the art of the possible, steering their direction of travel in their DDaT ambitions and to develop the fire and rescue sector to become more intelligent customers. 

Building on the momentum of progress made by the NFCC DDaT Committee, since its establishment two years ago, Steve reiterated the aims to ensure a standardised level of data collection and their openness to explore how AI can help with improving data quality.  

The insightful discussion allowed attendees to contribute their thoughts and experiences on the opportunities and threats that LLMs and generative AI poses to fire and rescue, the requirements to use the technology successfully, and what the sector can learn from others. 

The main points included: 

• The NFCC needs to define what they  want to achieve with AI- the appropriate course of action would be to identify a problem, define the challenges – or challenges - and then industry can help guide whether its use would be beneficial. 

• Learn from the experiences of policing- test a solution from their principles to generate action from the supplier community. 

• The NFCC are eager to explore whether AI can be used for predictive analytics- as fire and rescue services want to go beyond putting out fires, but to prevent them in the first place. A follow up session on predictive analytics would be valuable, in paritcular explore the ethical considerations around the use of AI. 

• The NFCC aim to achieve a ‘not allowed is not an answer’ mentality for when accessing and standardising local data systems- this ensuring that the data that is already there is being included and calculated when considering the demand. 

What comes next: 

Through techUK’s MoU with the NFCC – which you can review here –members will be able to collaborate with NFCC and fire and rescue services via a forum which will be established over the coming weeks. Through this forum, a greater understanding and detailed conversation on challenges, needs and enhanced use of DDaT will be explored which will result in wider industry engagement across a number of themes and key topics for national fire and rescue service delivery.  

The aim of this initial session on AI was for it to be an exploratory session and the first step in what will hopefully be a series of impactful and informative engagements between fire and rescue services and industry.  

If you would like to hear more about techUK’s work with NFCC, including how to be part of the forum, please reach out to the team using the contact details below.  

Fire and rescue updates

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Georgie Morgan

Head of Justice and Emergency Services, techUK

Georgie joined techUK as the Justice and Emergency Services (JES) Programme Manager in March 2020, then becoming Head of Programme in January 2022.

Georgie leads techUK's engagement and activity across our blue light and criminal justice services, engaging with industry and stakeholders to unlock innovation, problem solve, future gaze and highlight the vital role technology plays in the delivery of critical public safety and justice services. The JES programme represents suppliers by creating a voice for those who are selling or looking to break into and navigate the blue light and criminal justice markets.

Prior to joining techUK, Georgie spent 4 and a half years managing a Business Crime Reduction Partnership (BCRP) in Westminster. She worked closely with the Metropolitan Police and London borough councils to prevent and reduce the impact of crime on the business community. Her work ranged from the impact of low-level street crime and anti-social behaviour on the borough, to critical incidents and violent crime.

Email:

[email protected]

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgie-henley/

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Cinzia Miatto

Programme Manager - Justice & Emergency Services, techUK

Cinzia joined techUK in August 2023 as the Justice and Emergency Services (JES) Programme Manager.

The JES programme represents suppliers, championing their interests in the blue light and criminal justice markets, whether they are established entities or newcomers seeking to establish their presence.

Prior to join techUK, Cinzia held positions within the third and public sectors, managing international and multi-disciplinary projects and funding initiatives. Cinzia has a double MA degree in European Studies from the University of Göttingen (Germany) and the University of Udine (Italy), with a focus on politics and international relations.

Email:

[email protected]

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