Industry Expert Blog: How NFPA 1802 Enhances Fireground Communications

then how the hell can you develop a product for my team? I am a product manager at L3Harris. I have been an amateur radio operator (KA4CZU) for more than 46 years, and I have a BSEE and have worked professionally within the LMR market for over 27 years, first at Motorola and now L3Harris. Throughout my career, I have taken great pride and confidence in knowing quite a bit about RF communication devices, public safety and emergency response.

But even with all of my personal knowledge and experience, I know there is always more to learn, especially from our customers. I learned that in a very pointed way a few years ago when I was out gathering what we call Voice of the Customer (VOC) feedback at a firehouse. During these conversations, my role is to ask questions, listen carefully, and pay close attention - even to facial expressions and to the things that are unsaid - so that I can hear and understand what is on our customers' minds.

Early on during this visit, I said that we at L3Harris would like to understand what we could add to our products to make them more useful to the fire industry. The Chief, in front of his team, said to me, Let me ask you something. Have you ever been out at a live burn, to a burn house? You ever go out on a ride along? I sheepishly replied, No sir. To which we said, then how the hell can you develop a product for my team?

Those few words were the kick in the gut I needed to make me be better, not only at my job, but in my life in general. As a result, I did exactly what that chief asked of me; not only because I was genuinely interested, but selfishly, I never wanted to feel as inadequate as I did when he called me out.

One of the more impactful things I have done to understand the challenges facing firefighters is to become involved with the NFPA committee members that work at L3Harris. I am now a committee member myself, and have a deeper understanding about the vision the NFPA has for the fire industry and communications. The team has had plenty to share with me about a new standard the NFPA was creating for both an RF communication device (radio) and remote speaker microphone (RSM) used by personnel on firegrounds. In fact, that standard, the NFPA 1802, has just been released this year.

If you really think about it, these are exciting times for firefighter communications. When a firefighter suits up, the turnout coat, gloves, TIC, SCBA mask, regulator and O2 tank are all NFPA certified. Basically, everything that a firefighter uses when going into a hazardous area is NFPA certified, everything except some of the most critical pieces of gear - their radio and RSM.

LINK:	https://www.l3harris.com/newsroom/editorial/2021/03/industry-expert-bl...
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