UC Berkeley Students Use Real-Time Occupancy Data to Help First Responders

Firefighters and other first responders are often faced with uncertainty, time pressure, and the reality that their decision will literally result in life or death. According to the National Fire Protection Association, one fire-related death occurs approximately every two hours in the United States. Moreover, this year marks the sixth consecutive increase of fire-related deaths, reaching almost 4,000 fatalities with the majority of the deaths resulting from home fires. Clearly, this dynamic and harrowing problem requires a creative solution.

A team of five UC Berkeley students developed an application called Crowdsafe that will provide firefighters with real-time, location-based occupancy information. Using a simple design, straight-forward visualizations, and an intuitive layout, Crowdsafe is the perfect antidote to the high-pressure, life-or-death situations faced by first responders on a daily basis. Additionally, Crowdsafe has civilian-facing features with fire exit maps and easy-to-follow emergency egress instructions. Without Crowdsafe, it is possible that fire-related fatalities will continue to rise. Ultimately, Crowdsafe will vastly reduce fire-related deaths, and substantially improve our nation’s public safety.

Project by: Arman Vaziri, Juan Hernandez, Leila Bagheri, Marc Horneck, James Burke