Shaping Fire Service Tech with TSI

John Oates is the President and CEO of the International Public Safety Data Institute, the fire service’s leader in data and analytics. As CEO, he is responsible for growth, adoption, and continuous improvement of the NFORS Analytics, Exposure Tracker, and FireCARES programs.

Prior to being appointed I-PSDI CEO in November 2021, John served as Chief of the East Hartford, Connecticut Fire Department for 13 years. Prior to that, he served in West Hartford, CT for 20 years, reaching the rank of Battalion Chief. John has a BS from Franklin Pierce University, an MS from Oklahoma State University, is a graduate of the National Fire Academy Executive Fire Officer Program, and holds numerous professional certifications. He has been an Advocate for the NFFF’s Everyone Goes Home Program since the inception of the 16 Firefighter Life Safety Initiatives. He serves the First Responder Center for Excellence as a member of the Behavioral Health Advisory Committee. Chief Oates serves as a member of the NFPA 3000 Active Shooter/Hostile Event Response Technical Committee and the Technical Committee for Safety at Motorsports Venues (NFPA 610) where he served as Chairman from 2005 until 2016.

While studying mechanical engineering in college, Jason found his way onto a volunteer fire department in 1999. That experience made him fall in love with the fire service. After graduating he decided to get his paramedic license so that he could pursue a full time career as a medic/firefighter. While on the job in 2009 he realized there was a better way. Jason started the patent process and began his vision for a pump operating system that would address dozens of common fire ground frustrations. In 2017 Jason put his first prototype on the street and it was a huge success. In 2018 IDEX Fire and Safety brought Jason onto their team. He left the fire service at the rank of Captain to work full time with IDEX to make his invention a reality in the fire industry. Jason now manages the Advanced Flow Solutions product line and develops new technology for water flow in the fire service. Jason’s favorite part of his job is his unique opportunity to travel across north America working with all different types of fire departments to help the fire service advance.

Katelynn Kapalo is an instructor for the U.S. Fire Administration National Fire Academy’s Executive Fire Officer program. She is the Senior Research Scientist/Assistant Director for the Western Fire Chiefs Association’s Applied Sciences Center for Resilience Studies. She has held multiple roles in academia and completed a postdoctoral appointment with Brown University, supporting the National Institute of Standards and Technology Public Safety Communications Research Division (NIST PSCR).

Dr. Kapalo previously worked in industry as a Research Statistician for Orange County Fire Rescue Department and as a Research Psychologist for the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD). Dr. Kapalo has supported large-scale (multi-billion-dollar) research and development programs focused on integrating augmented and virtual reality training capabilities for the U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, DARPA, and the U.S. Army. She serves as a technical panel member and principal investigator for efforts to integrate immersive learning and training simulation for firefighting and EMS. Kate was recently appointed to the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) HazMat Advisory Board.

Kate earned her Ph.D. in Modeling and Simulation from the University of Central Florida. Her dissertation focused on leveraging emerging technologies to support fire ground incident command more effectively in pre-incident planning and community risk reduction efforts. Her work has been published and presented at national and international conferences.

Marcus Edwards grew up in a firefighter family—his dad, late grandpa, and uncles are all firemen in Illinois and Missouri. Marcus graduated from the University of Illinois with a degree in bioengineering. He later worked as a consultant to help Fortune 500 companies improve their advanced analytics and data dashboards.

Marcus founded Stationwise at Stanford business school. While there, he interviewed dozens of Fire Chiefs around the US, and over 90% of them said tech interoperability is a top concern for accountability and achieving department goals.

Stationwise is a user-friendly staffing software that automates payroll, budgeting, reimbursements, and financial reports while following union rules. Stationwise is live in 4 states and counting, and their motto is to to help customers “fight fires, not software.

In 2023 Kevin Sofen joined the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) as a Technology Advisor to help plan and lead the upcoming 2023 Technology Summit International on December 6-8 in Irving Texas. Kevin spent 11+ years at W.S. Darley & Company, overseeing community development, market strategy, and emerging technology. Since 2012, Kevin successfully commercialized a range of products that include packaged water in a box, virtual reality training, and autonomous drone solutions. In 2017 Kevin launched the www.SmartFireFighting.com community which highlights thought leadership and change management around technology and innovation adoption in the fire service.