- Gary Walsh, former Chief Fire Officer, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service
Firefighters operate in some of the most hazardous working environments. Extreme heat, toxic gases, smoke, restricted visibility, and physical exhaustion can all threaten their safety. In the US alone, an estimated 53,575 municipal firefighters suffered on-duty injuries in 2024, including 16,275 injuries sustained at fireground operations. Therefore, having right information at the right moment can be crucial for them. Connected technologies are beginning to make this possible by turning traditionally standalone equipment into smart, data-generating devices.
This blog examines how IoT is transforming firefighter PPE from conventional protective equipment into a connected worker-safety system. It explores how connected wearables can monitor firefighters’ physiological condition, environmental exposure, and location; how connected systems can help identify and predict emerging hazards; and how standards and regulations are evolving to accommodate these technologies. For a more detailed view of connected worker technologies, click our recent report, 'Worker Safety: 27.7 million connected devices, generating USD3.7 billion revenue by 2035'.
Traditionally, firefighter PPE was designed to protect against physical and environmental hazards. Equipment such as protective clothing, helmets, gloves, boots, and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) provides essential protection against heat, flames, smoke, and toxic gases. However, conventional PPE does not provide real-time information about a firefighter's physiological condition, location, or exposure to hazards.
Firefighter PPE is increasingly being fitted with smart sensors that monitor firefighters and their surroundings. The collected data include physiological measures (such as heart rate and temperature), environmental parameters (such as gas concentrations and heat), and information about location or equipment status. By transmitting these data to monitoring systems, connected PPE can provide firefighters and incident commanders with greater visibility into changing conditions and potential safety risks. Connected firefighting equipment can use different communication technologies to exchange data without necessarily requiring the replacement of an entire PPE ensemble. For instance, MSA Safety’s LUNAR Connected Device uses LTE-M for connectivity, Bluetooth to connect with compatible self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), and an ad hoc network to communicate with other LUNAR devices at an incident scene.
While a traditional firefighting PPE protects firefighters from external heat, its protective layers can also restrict heat dissipation. This makes continuous monitoring of both physiological and environmental conditions important, as changes in these measurements can indicate how a firefighter is responding to heat exposure.
A 2026 study demonstrated this approach during live-fire training involving 28 firefighters at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay. Researchers equipped firefighters with wireless sensors that continuously measured heart rate, body temperature, and skin temperature, alongside environmental conditions such as ambient temperature, in-suit temperature, and humidity. The system synchronised these data streams to distinguish between warm-up activities and live-fire suppression, achieving more than 97% accuracy in identifying the two phases.
Firefighters can be exposed to gases such as carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide, while temperatures and atmospheric conditions can change rapidly. Conventional detectors can alert workers when a hazardous condition is detected, but a connected system could potentially identify a developing hazard and give the worker or command centre additional time to respond.
Case in point, during a refinery incident in Burnaby, British Columbia, in early 2024, each member of the Burnaby Fire Department’s hazardous materials (hazmat) team was equipped with Blackline Safety’s G7 wearable device, which provided gas monitoring and lone-worker protection while operating in a potentially hazardous area. The department also deployed eight connected EXO area monitors around the refinery perimeter to measure gas concentrations. Live gas readings were combined with weather data and plume-modelling software to predict the plume’s size, speed and direction in real time, helping firefighters assess the risk to nearby residents and determine if evacuation was required or not.
Firefighters can also become disoriented, trapped, or separated from their teams, particularly in buildings where smoke and changing conditions can make navigation difficult. Connected technology can help in this case, by transmitting information about a firefighter's location and equipment status.
For instance, in September 2024, the Indianapolis Fire Department piloted Ascent Integrated Tech’s location-tracking and on-scene accountability technology with a recruit class of 66 firefighters. The department conducted multiple drills with firefighters from different units, with the devices placed in their pockets to track their locations in real time. Battalion Chief Dale Rolfson said the devices “seemed to track very well” during the tests.
Governments around the world are increasingly incorporating digital monitoring, connectivity, and data transmission into fire-safety requirements. While this does not yet mean that firefighters are generally required to wear IoT-enabled PPE, some standards and regulations are explicitly moving firefighting equipment and building fire-safety systems towards continuous and connected monitoring.
Published in March 2026, China’s GB 27900-2026, a mandatory national standard for firefighter personal alert safety systems, distinguishes between conventional and communication-enabled devices and sets requirements for their integration with communication platforms. The standard requires these platforms to receive and manage IoT data from firefighter devices, including environmental conditions, vital signs, SCBA pressure, and location information. It also supports real-time physiological monitoring through connected wearables and requires communication through public or private networks, including 4G/5G. The standard will take effect in April 2027.
Singapore is incorporating IoT directly into firefighter equipment through the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s (SCDF) next-generation self-contained breathing apparatus (NG-SCBA). The system uses smart sensors to monitor parameters, including air pressure and firefighter motion, and the data is then processed in real time to provide alerts to both the wearer and command staff. SCDF has also developed operational protocols that use telemetry systems for firefighters’ accountability during high-rise operations and to monitor personnel exposure and air consumption during hazardous-material incidents.
The country’s Digital and Cyber Fire Standard, approved in September 2024, requires fire and rescue services in England to implement ICT that supports emergency response and provide solutions that connect employees to information. It also requires solutions that connect employees to each other and other agencies for voice and data communications. Although the standard does not specifically mandate IoT-enabled PPE, its requirements support the connectivity and data exchange needed for connected firefighter technologies.
In the US, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed security guidance for IoT-enabled mobile and wearable devices used by first responders. Published in July 2022, the Security Guidance for First Responder Mobile and Wearable Devices addresses the cybersecurity risks associated with connected devices used in public-safety operations and provides recommendations to help jurisdictions select and procure secure devices for first responders. This provides a framework for the adoption of connected firefighter wearables, while addressing the security risks that accompany their use.
IoT is changing firefighter PPE from equipment that primarily protects against hazards into a connected safety system that can provide information about firefighters, their surroundings, and wider incidents. Wearable sensors, connected monitoring systems, and location technologies can help fire services improve situational awareness, identify emerging risks and support faster decision-making during operations.
As these technologies continue to develop, their role is likely to extend beyond monitoring towards more predictive and intelligent safety applications. At the same time, standards and regulations must evolve to address the use, reliability, interoperability and security of connected firefighter equipment. Therefore, the combination of connected PPE, data analytics, and appropriate regulatory frameworks could play an important role in improving firefighter safety.
