DAVENPORT, Fla. — Since late 2024, the City of Davenport and the Davenport Fire Department have teamed up to use a new device that speeds up water removal, eliminating the need for manual intervention.
Firefighters save lives every day, from homes engulfed in flames to acres of land burning to the ground. Budget concerns, however, can pose an added challenge for some local fire departments.
“We run a limited staffing we’d like to have more people, but due to, you know, budgets and just the amount of people were able to hire, we can’t quite do that,” said Thomas Murphy, Jr., Administrative Captain, Davenport Fire Department.
The city of Davenport is now working to fix that. Since late 2024, the city has been using a new device that helps get water out quicker, eliminating the need for a person to do it.
“It gives us a safety factor with the limited staff,” Captain Murphy said.
A national report from the Government Accountability Office found that firefighter numbers declined from 2019 to 2023, with wages and work schedules as the leading causes of staffing gaps.
Captain Murphy continues, “I wouldn’t say it eliminates a position, but with the ability to, particularly, what we call charge a hose line, meaning get water to the nozzle of the hose line without somebody standing at the pump panel, is what the SAM system does.”
The system allows the crew to operate the pump remotely from inside the fire scene and the technology could help attract younger generations to the industry, according to experts.
“Gen Alpha, even Gen Z, they are picking jobs that are technologically advanced,” said Jason Cerrano, Director of Research and Development, IDEX Fire and Safety. “They will shy away from older, more manual jobs. We’ve got to start facing that challenge.”
The City of Davenport paid about 25,000 dollars for technology, and they say this will come in handy ahead of the fire season. The city hopes other agencies will do the same, especially those facing staffing shortages.
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