MSA Safety explains how its real-time SCBA telemetry is helping to improve firefighter safety, enhancing situational awareness and supporting more informed decision making on the fireground
MSA’s enhanced Telemetry solutions help incident command monitor crews in real time and make more informed decisions when it matters most. MSA’s Telemetry is the technology that sends critical M1 SCBA data from firefighters on the scene straight to incident command in real time, helping teams stay connected, monitor crew status and make better-informed decisions. Using the new Mobile Hub EU, M1 Repeater, and FireGrid Monitor App, SCBA data is transmitted to incident command at the fire scene.
Here, Francesca Breen, discusses the technology and how it is being applied.
Please introduce yourself and give a brief insight into MSA.
I’m a Segment Marketing Manager at MSA and joined the company in 2025. My background is in the world of tech including many years working for leading smartphone manufacturers. Using technology to improve firefighter safety is one of the things that drew me most to MSA.
Telemetry has been discussed for years, yet adoption has been uneven. What is changing on the fireground that is now making real-time data more relevant?
Adoption of new technology always comes in steps. Early adopters are always on the lookout for solutions that can help them whilst many need more convincing and are only comfortable deploying when they’ve seen the benefits elsewhere. This is understandably true at the fire scene with so much at stake. Fire departments do not buy technology for the sake of it, they do so to deliver specific benefits. We are now seeing more decision makers understanding the impact that telemetry can have in making their firefighters safer.
What are the key blind spots incident commanders face, and how does live SCBA telemetry begin to address them?
As a fundamental, the incident commander wants to support and know the status of their firefighters; do they have the necessary oxygen? Are any of them in trouble?
The MSA M1 SCBA is the cornerstone of the system that can deliver telemetry information to them in real time. This includes the remaining air pressure for each of the firefighters engaged which is delivered to the incident commander with colour coding to highlight those with lower volumes of air. This represents in both minutes remaining as well as the pressure number. They are also able to see the alarm status for each firefighter.
Importantly, the system is more than just receiving information from the firefighter, incident commanders can send evacuation alarms to individual or all firefighters and see that the firefighter has acknowledged the alarm.
How does access to real-time data influence decision making during fast-moving or deteriorating incidents?
It is good to start from the standpoint that timely and high-quality information enables better decisions, and this can ultimately benefit firefighter safety. However, incident commanders can also struggle from an overload of data and information, meaning that it is crucial to deliver to them what is important at that moment. One example of this is alarm notification where there is low oxygen for a firefighter. The incident commander can trigger an evacuation call for them and see in real time that the firefighter has acknowledged this through their M1 Control Module.
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