AI risk management: A roadmap for the fire service
AI risk management: A roadmap for the fire service
Publish Date: 2026-06-11 15:18:00
Source Domain: www.firerescue1.com
By Clint Smith and Ryan Falkestein-Smith
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers a wealth of opportunities to improve every phase of fire service operations when used as a trusted tool. However, if AI is not developed, deployed or maintained appropriately, it has the potential to cause unintended consequences that differ significantly from its intended function. To adopt AI as a trusted tool in the fire service, consideration should be given to how best to manage any unintended consequences by applying risk management.
AI risk management
AI risk management is the process of assessing the likelihood of an event occurring alongside the magnitude of its consequences. Consequences can be positive, negative or, in some instances, both, such as a “near miss” incident that could improve organizational learning at the expense of individual trauma for those involved.
AI risks are contextual, meaning that awareness of the environment and how AI is used is essential to framing the benefits and risks of the system being constructed. Perspectives on an AI system’s risk may differ across its lifecycle, from design and development through validation, deployment and operational use. Additionally, the difference in perspective may stem from the various participating individuals within the AI ecosystem, which include:
- The technology developer responsible for creating and training the AI models, delivering the functionality of the system
- The integrator responsible for manufacturing the final end-user product
- The end-user who uses the AI-enhanced tool
There is no unified perspective on what constitutes AI system risk. Because there is no clear definition of AI system risk, it is challenging to establish a single AI risk management process or procedure that addresses all risks. This is especially true for AI use in the fire service, specifically the end-user who encounters unique scenarios daily for which the AI system was not trained. The fire service…
