World’s largest firefighter training conference showcases tech

The world’s largest firefighter training conference is back at the Indiana Convention Center this week. 

Organizers said the Fire Department Instructor’s Conference (FDIC) is bringing more than 34,000 people from 53 different countries to Indianapolis, where they’re studying how to keep their communities safe. 

James Mullins of Flaim Systems in Australia showed off a training system he designed and developed. Firefighters can see and hear a virtual fire through a headset, while the system increases the heat in the firefighters’ bunker jacket and simulates the pressure of a hose. 

“It’s the first time I’ve been over here to Indianapolis. It’s a beautiful city,” Mullins said. “The conference is amazing.”

Firefighters spent Monday and Tuesday training at sites across central Indiana. 

VisitIndy said the conference will generate about $34 million in local tax revenue. 

FDIC education director Bobby Halton calls it “the best conference in the world.”

“You find that, the world over, we might do things a bit differently, they might do things a bit differently there. The values and the principles and the fundamentals of the firefighter is almost a universal trait,” Halton said. “They’re just big-hearted and gentle, loving and concerned people.”

Halton noted the conference launched a technology summit for the first time this year. 

Firefighters are studying how robotics and drones can make communities safer. 

The conference is booked for Indy through 2023. This year, it runs until Friday.