The fire protection industry has long been resistant to change – but the case may be different with AI. In a recent NFPA poll, 95% of respondents say that AI has a purpose in some day-to-day functions. Even with that optimism it can be challenging to actually implement and leverage solutions.
We documented some of those challenges in the most recent edition of our Fire & Life Safety Report. And while we have to acknowledge that fire protection as a whole may be slow to adopt newer technologies, those in the field who do adopt them aren’t just seeing more productivity and revenue — they’re also contributing to general public safety.
How Technology Has Changed the Fire Protection Industry
Think of how you were performing inspections back in 2014 or 2015. They were likely on paper, and your team had to manually enter data. Today, inspections are often completed digitally, on tablets or phones. From there, third-party software integrations make it easy to enter information once and have it synced with other programs, like compliance reporting platforms.
In short, technology has saved countless teams a lot of time and money.
But can it do more?
The shift toward digital recordkeeping hasn’t solved all our problems. Inspection bottlenecks remain a problem. Compliance becomes ever-more complex and will continue to do so as existing structures age and new ones evolve. And let’s not forget the skilled labor shortages that have hit the field hard in recent years. “Going digital” has helped many fire inspection businesses stay ahead, but that has become table stakes.
So, how does AI fit into the picture, if at all? Its evolution over the last few years has been nothing short of astonishing, and it’s poised to get even more powerful.
Some in the industry have already experimented with it: “So far, AI has not let me down,” one Inspect Point customer said. “It knows more than I know.”
How AI Works
To understand what makes AI such a promising technological development, it helps to see how it works.
At its core, artificial intelligence isn’t magic — it’s pattern recognition at scale. AI systems are trained on large sets of data, learning to identify relationships and make predictions based on what they’ve seen before. Just as a seasoned inspector notices red flags from years of experience, AI builds “experience” from analyzing thousands (or millions) of data points.
To sum it up, AI is a highly sophisticated pattern-detecting machine. It can predict answers very well, and its ability to answer questions and organize information has allowed it to make inroads into many industries.
There is, understandably, concern about it taking over the jobs that people would do. But most industries are seeing AI as a leverage point for employees to excel at their current roles instead of replacing them.
Rather than replacing the inspector’s expertise, AI could act as a second set of eyes — working behind the scenes to handle repetitive tasks, surface insights, and ensure nothing slips through the cracks. The end result is more accurate inspections, better compliance, and more time for fire protection professionals to focus on keeping people and property safe.
What AI Can Bring to Fire Protection
AI’s particular skill set makes it a whiz at crunching and interpreting huge amounts of data. That’s where we should be looking in terms of what it can offer fire protection. The customers we’ve spoken to about it tend to agree with that take: “I definitely see AI as a useful tool to consolidate a bunch of information,” one said to us.
These strengths make it particularly useful for:
- Interpreting inspection data: AI can “read” much faster than any human. It can process data from inspections quickly, flagging gaps or inconsistencies that might signal a compliance issue.
- Generating insights and recommendations: It often takes hours at the keyboard to review data and compile the kind of insights and growth opportunities that AI can deliver in seconds.
- Learning from past jobs: AI can learn and improve as it goes, potentially reducing repeat errors with inspection and service work.
Practical Considerations Around AI
On any given day, you can look at just about any news platform and see concerns raised around AI. People are worried about energy consumption, and that the data fed into these machines isn’t really private. There’s also the concern that AI can just, well, make things up.
The conversations around these worries are real and ongoing. But many similar conversations were had about the internet as a whole, and things like storing data on a computer when they first arrived on the scene.
Obviously, any AI incorporated into a fire inspection workflow needs to be able to protect the sensitive data customers entrust it with. Most important of all is that AI doesn’t become a sort of “black box” that no human knows how to oversee or even operate. In fire protection, human professionals must be actively involved at all levels of the AI process, especially when reviewing outputs and making judgment calls. A customer we spoke to suggested that trust in AI would be built over time, through consistent use and spot-checking. We agree.
Remember, AI is a computer program. It’s very smart, and it can put untold quantities of data at your disposal, but in the end, it’s growing day-by-day. It is very good at getting smarter, but the human element must not be stripped out.
What’s Next in the Fire Protection Industry?
Despite the fire protection field’s hesitance around change, we’ve seen a lot of interest around AI and how it can help the industry. One of our customers went so far as to call AI just another helpful tool, “Like a hammer when you’re building a house.”
That, to us, is the key: AI can be an outstanding tool in the hands of seasoned professionals. A hammer alone won’t build your house. It just aids in the process. Similarly, AI alone won’t grow your revenue or make the world any safer, but when used properly, it can streamline your workflows and free up a ton of your team’s time.
We’re a technology company. It’s pretty natural that we’ve spent the last couple of years thinking about how and where AI can fit into our industry, and how it can benefit everyone from the technician in the field to the back-office reviewing reports.
We hope the industry as a whole will join in and start talking more about AI, looking into its strengths and weaknesses, and determining where it can help us solve problems. How can AI augment the compliance process? Where can techs turn to it for help? How would you implement it?
There’s a lot to learn, but we have faith in this industry. We’re excited for what’s next.
