Every five years the fire services of the world join forces in Germany to exchange information. The event is called "Interschutz." It is not as well-known in the United States. Nonetheless, those who have been attending it for the last several cycles have witnessed a subtle change that may have long-term implications for the U.S. fire service.

As a long-time observer of Interschutz, it has been interesting to see how this global interface has evolved with respect to fire protection. Going back 20 years, there was very limited attendance by U.S. firms. Admittedly, there also was very little desire then on the part of the global market to sell products to fire departments in the states. That has very definitely changed.

While the process has been subtle, it also has been persistent. One only has to go back two or three cycles at Interschutz to find that there were few fire departments using European style roll-up doors as opposed to traditional doors. Now they are present on many U.S. configurations. And, many countries were not manufacturing their own fire equipment back then, but rather were importing it all. China was one of those countries. Today, it has a significant presence as a manufacture of basic fire-protection equipment.

For those who never have attended Interschutz, it probably is important to note that this one show clearly demonstrates the vast differences in the cultural aspects of fire protection between the U.S. and the rest of the world. There are significant differences in approach regarding the use of technology as well. There are probably few events in which you can see a range of technology from basic fire brigade buckets all the way up to extremely sophisticated robots and aerial-surveillance devices — and an audience for both ends of the spectrum walking the halls together. That happens at Interschutz.

There were several themes that emerged from this year's event. These include water-mist technology, robotics, modular construction, aerial surveillance by drone aircraft, firefighter safety and an emphasis on scientific research. In this article, I would like to share some observations about specific technologies that will have an impact on us sooner or later.

Probably the most heavily attended individual booths were those that addressed personal protective equipment for firefighters, especially self-contained breathing apparatus. A recurring theme in the European fire service concerns firefighter safety. One debate that was heard over and over again was that no matter how sophisticated the technology becomes, adequate training and incident command are critical to firefighter safety.

But the technology is becoming sophisticated. For example, the concept of robotics is taking hold at the international level. Rather than risking firefighters lives in really dangerous situations, robots are being developed to enter buildings and other hazardous atmospheres, with their control being in the hands of someone who remains out of danger.

The robots range in size from as small as a large suitcase all the way up to a mechanism the size of a military tank. What was particularly interesting about the large robotics was that they were being converted from military applications to civilian applications.

In the same vein as robotics was the idea of ground-control drone aircraft that can be used by fireground commanders to maintain surveillance of building interiors and outside perimeters. The aircraft ranged in size from as small as a briefcase to one that was almost as large as an ultra-light aircraft. An image of one of the smaller drones provides evidence that this vehicle could actually be flown inside of a building. It was circulating in the vicinity of the vendors.

Another remote-controllable piece of equipment seen at Interschutz was a vehicle that provided a high-volume mist stream that could be operated by a single firefighter in an attack on flammable liquids, as well as in wildfire situations.

Clearly, the evidence was overwhelming that Europeans are focusing their attention on water-mist technology. An array of vehicles and related technology was focused on the use of very-high-pressure, finely divided mist spray. Based on the theory of latent heat vaporization, these systems are being proposed at the operations level in the fire service, as well as for specialized risks. One interesting combination on display was a mechanism that provided a water mist around a wildland vehicle to protect it during a burnover. This same vehicle had a mounted breathing apparatus in the cab so that the crew could have safe air during such a burnover.

Indeed, such modular equipment provides a wide range of specialty units that are adding to the capacity of the European fire service, enabling it to become, more and more, an "all-risk" delivery system.

The final event at Interschutz was a huge parade of fire apparatus. One could not observe this parade without being impressed with the European approach to standardization and uniformity. The parade was organized by the age of the apparatus and provided a comprehensive overview of the evolution of European fire equipment.

Conventions of this nature always raise the question of who should be in attendance and how often is it of value to return. Traveling halfway around the world to participate in a conference is an expensive and time-consuming proposition. It is unlikely that every firefighter would benefit from such an experience. On the other hand, Interschutz is an outstanding opportunity for leaders, innovators and advocates of change to put their concepts on public display. It is unlikely that this process ever will result in all of our cultures agreeing on how things ought to be done. But there already is proof that this type of cultural exchange has resulted in improvements worldwide.

The next show is scheduled for 2015 in Hannover, Germany. Undoubtedly, more American vendors will participate then. It is equally likely that more individual participants will find their way to Hannover to form their own conclusions about what constitutes state-of-the-art in the fire service.

The only question is whether you will be one of those individuals. I hope to see you in Hannover.

Ronny J. Coleman has served as fire chief in Fullerton and San Clemente, Calif., and was the fire marshal of the state of California from 1992 to 1999. He is a certified fire chief and a master instructor in the California Fire Service Training and Education System.

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