CORDIS

FIRE-IN has been designed to raise the security level of EU citizens by improving the national and European Fire & Rescue (F&R) capability development process. FIRE-IN addresses the concern that capability-driven research and innovation in this area needs much stronger guidance from practitioners and better exploitation of the technology potentially available for the discipline. We argue that this is to be achieved by practitioners more effectively coordinating on operational needs, on available research and innovation, on standardisation, and on test & demonstration and training. Further, we argue for the need for the development of a common research culture that is to be achieved by better cooperation between practitioner and research/industry organisations. FIRE-IN addresses these objectives through four main areas of activity: (i) the identification and harmonisation of operational capability gaps based on the contribution provided by a significant and heterogeneous practitioner network, (ii) the identification of promising solutions to address those gaps through monitoring and screening of research outcomes and the continuous involvement of research and industry representatives, (iii) the definition of a F&R Strategic Research and Standardisation Agenda (SRSA) based on the previous elements as well as (iv) the development of a concept for more efficient use of test & demonstration and training facilities to support innovation and joint skill development. The overarching result of the project will be a proven process for organising F&R capability-driven research based on a wide practitioner and research and innovation network. The network will be linked at cross-domain and cross-border level and will feed harmonised operational requirements (or challenges) into national and EU capability development, i.e. research, innovation, procurement and standardisation programmes.

•WP1
T01.01 Development of a framework for structuring the activities in the F&R area and a detailed methodology for the workshops in T1.2 to consult the Associated Experts in a special field of interest.
T01.02 The first cycle of TWG Workshops was organized in February/March 2018. TWG A Search and Rescue and Emergency Medical Response (Barcelona); TWG B Structure Fires (Roma); TWG C Vegetation fires (Berlin); TWG D Natural Disasters (Berlin); TWG E CBRNE (Roma). 141 people from 17 countries, including 66 Associated experts were present at workshops.
The second cycle of workshops were organized in Aix-en-Provence (28–30 th January 2019) [TWG-C], in Praha (11-15 th February 2019) [TWG-B, TWG-D, TWG-E] and in Paris (4-6 th March 2019) [TWG-A].
T01.04 After the first cycle of workshops, a matrix was developed and implemented with the results in a synthetic form. In P2, from the 1 st cycle and the workshops’ results document from the 2 nd cycle, 12 common capability challenges were identified. These top 12 challenges will form the basement of WP2 (screening of existing resources), WP3 (request for ideas) and WP4 (dissemination) activities for the next cycle of the project.
•WP2
T02.01 The methodology was successfully used on the following solutions screening process in T2.2.
T02.02 Various sources of solutions, i.e. technologies, standards, and research articles, were screened to identify possible solutions to those common capability challenges that were previously identified in the first cycle of workshops conducted in WP1. The results of this first screening have been documented in D2.1
T02.03 The work of this task is linked with the work done in the T3.3.
•WP3
T03.01 A “TRAFFIC LIGHT SYSTEM” was developed in WP3 to show the level of coverage of each Common Capability Challenge provided from WP1 and WP2.
T03.02 Description of the background of the Request of Ideas (RfIs) procedure. First cycle application of the traffic light system. D3.5 described the first Strategic and Standardisation Agenda of the project.
T03.03 Based on the evaluation of the threats and the relative CCCs and FCCCs identified, this task associates relevant priorities from the practitioner viewpoint linked to the output of WP1.
•WP4
T04.01 The e-fire-in platform was accessible to the partner for go back of validation and test review on september and october 2019 as planned : www.fire-in.eu
T04.02 Presentation of FIRE IN at different events; interaction with practitioners; dissemination through social media and FIRE IN Newsletters; interaction during the FIRE IN workshops; participation at many other European projects workshops; 350 registered experts. The second cycle of workshops gathered 62 associated experts in total. 80 participants from 15 countries attended the first dissemination event in Romea, in June 2018, and 100 attended the second one in Barcelona, May 2019.
T04.03 Regular newsletters (5) and 1 special for the event in Barcelona; 2000 copies of FIRE IN leaflet printed; FIRE-IN rollup design produced; communication guidelines for workshops; 3 video interviews; improvement of FIRE IN website; Online registration system for the Annual Workshop
•WP5
T05.01 Leading partners meetings every two weeks; Some amendments done with the withdrawal of EU-VRI and MSB and the addition of INEDEV (third linked party of EU-VRi).
T05.02 SAFE Cluster managed the technical coordination of the WPs and the coordination of the interaction between the TWGs leaders and the WP leaders.

•A shift of operational thinking in Europe associated to innovation-based capability development: FIRE-IN has successfully started in associating numerous practitioners in the very first stage of the project process. The ongoing connections between them and research and innovation organisations, through partners, demonstrates that the shift of operational thinking is achievable.
•FIRE-IN practitioner network engagement impacts: The first cycle of workshops has produced consistent outputs. Many capability gaps have been consensually identified by associated experts. Some of them, fully transversal between thematic working groups, can be pointed out as common capability challenges.
•Supporting EU policy implementation: The capability gaps pointed out by practitioners are being disseminated to EU policy makers in several ways: Presentation in Community of Users meetings in Brussels and other inter-programs events; Production of deliverables on current and future common capability challenges; Publication on e-FIRE-IN platform and dissemination website and newsletters
•An enhanced security in Europe through capability-driven research programmes: The basis for a network of practitioners’ networks has been built. While enlarging this network, FIRE-IN will now engage with RT Organisations and industries, particularly in WP3. So, capability challenges will be transferred to solution providers. Several tools and events are developed to support these transfer activities: the e-FIRE-IN platform, the annual FIRE-IN dissemination workshop, project exchanges…
•An enhanced security in Europe through better standardisation efforts: Associated experts have already identified the need for standardisation as a key point in several capability challenges. This has now to be transferred to agencies and EU offices with standardisation capabilities.