Navigating Promise and Risk – Introducing the AI and Fire Department Team?

Wednesday, December 10, 2025

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT

Location: Junior Ballroom A

Co-Presenter(s)

John H. Oates, MS, EFO

President & CEO
International Public Safety Data Institute
McLean, Virginia
Rebecca Harned, MA

Principal Research Scientist
UL Research Institutes
North Sutton, New Hampshire
Preet Bassi, CAE

Chief Executive Officer
Center for Public Safety Excellence
Reston, Virginia

Artificial Intelligence is no longer a buzzword in the fire service. This session gives you straight facts about where AI delivers and where it falls short, using examples from fire departments and drawing on the latest Edelman Trust Barometer and Brookings research on public skepticism and future regulation. Hear case studies that show when AI makes real improvements on the job, along with cautionary stories from those who jumped in too quickly and paid for it. You will leave this session with actual tools and advice; policy samples, guidelines, and a clear sense of how to adopt AI in a way that keeps your team in control and the public’s trust intact.