In 2007, they put their heads together and developed Tablet Command, a software-as-a-service tool that helps first responders manage resources and staff at the scene of a disaster. It’s been a staple at fire departments in the San Francisco Bay Area for years, providing the situational awareness that can mean the difference between life and death.
Bozzo and Pigeon have been sharing their technology ever since and continue to run Tablet Command, the business. But 2020 was a breakthrough year and the company expanded into San Bernardino County, which thought so highly of the software it replaced its Mobile Data Terminals with it.
“San Bernardino County Fire uses it in every frontline response unit to include our fire engines, squads, ambulances, chief officers, snow cat, boats and helicopter,” Jeff Birchfield, assistant chief for Division 1 of the San Bernardino Fire Department, toldEmergency Managementmagazine.* “We have found it to be a very effective tool with use of map layers and CAD notes, while en route to incidents, providing situational awareness for our battalion chiefs to monitor unit status within their battalions.”
“We continually strive to enhance our platform based on feedback from our users in the field, so they can have access to the most timely, appropriate and comprehensive information possible in a user interface that is easy to interpret in high-stress environments,” Bozzo said. “Our purpose is rooted in our commitment to the safety of emergency response personnel and the citizens they serve.”
Tablet Command will continue to make improvements, and the next iteration will give commanders in neighboring counties the ability to share each other’s communications, said Van Riviere, president and CEO of Tablet Command and a former battalion chief in Stockton, Calif. “It’s only limited by the imagination and bandwidth.”
*Emergency Management is part of e.Republic, Government Technology's parent company.
