This spring, the Center for Public Safety Excellence® (CPSE®) Center for Innovation (CPSE CFI) hit the road to present our Strategic Scan on the Use of and Attitudes towards Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Fire and Emergency Service at three different industry events with various focuses and audiences. The Strategic Scan, our first publication released in September 2025, describes the extent of AI use by fire chiefs and key personnel, specific use cases in operations, administration, and training, and concerns with AI use. Fire Chiefs and key personnel quantify their comfort using AI, their planned adoption for new use cases, and whether they have formal departmental policy.

Presentation #1

This presentation was held at the Congressional Fire Services Institute’s Annual National Fire and Emergency Services Symposium in Washington, DC, on March 19. We focused on the importance of policy and training around the use of artificial intelligence and audience questions focused on AI governance and ethics.

Presentation #2

We were invited to speak at the National Capital Region Fire and Emergency Response Analysts Symposium that was held in Fairfax, Virginia, on  April 17.  Our session highlighted current applications and future opportunities for responsible AI use from the analyst perspective. Attendees shared their department use cases and echoed concerns around accountability and training.

Presentation #3

The FDIC International’s NextGen Fire Rescue Tech Summit in Indianapolis, Indiana, was our third presentation in April. On Day 1, the panel discussion “AI in the Fire Service: What’s Real, What’s Next, and What to Watch Out For” allowed us to highlight the AI Strategic Scan findings on current and future use cases and concerns expressed by respondents. On Day 2 of the summit, the hands-on AI workshop, allowed us to highlight the need for training in AI use.

Across all events, we witnessed diverse perspectives on using AI ranging from cautious to curious to cutting-edge, and we heard novel and exciting use cases. With this diversity, we also heard commonalities such as the importance of understanding how and when to use AI, who is accountable for AI-informed decisions, and using AI to enhance, but not replace, human decisions and work products.

We appreciate the opportunity to share the data of our Strategic Scan and facilitate and contribute to these important discussions. A special thanks to the organizers and attendees at all three events for the thoughtful conversations and engagement and we look forward to continuing the dialogue and building on the momentum around this work.

About CPSE CFI

The CPSE Center for Innovation serves as a catalyst for innovation in the fire and emergency service. A wholly owned 501 (c)(3) nonprofit subsidiary of CPSE, CPSE CFI will highlight innovative solutions developed by CPSE-accredited agencies and credentialed professionals and address an industry-wide gap in evidence-based decision making. Learn more at www.innovationcpse.org.