Singapore hosted the IFAFRI Annual Meeting in April, which coincided with the Milipol Asia-Pacific Homeland Security Exhibition and the TechX Summit. The meeting provided IFAFRI members, including Germany, a platform to plan future activities aimed at closing capability gaps for first responders worldwide. The meeting began with presentations from IFAFRI working groups, including the Research and Development group, the Capability Gaps group, and the Stakeholder Networking group, which reported on their activities over the past year. Particular focus was placed on the decision to update and revalidate the "10 Common Global Capability Gaps," which highlight critical areas where first responder technology innovations are most urgently needed worldwide. Subsequently, Singapore showcased its advanced training facilities for first responders, including the Emergency Responders' Fitness Conditioning and Enhancement Lab (EXCEL), providing members with insights into cutting-edge approaches to training and fitness for first responders.
Alongside the Milipol exhibition and the TechX Summit, IFAFRI organized a side event where ForAn coordinator Alexander Rösner delivered a keynote presentation on the integration of response organizations in (EU) research projects. Following this, THW colleague Tiina Ristmäe illustrated the role of response organizations in research and development projects, using the European-funded SYNERGISE project as an example. In further presentations, representatives from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and the USA emphasized the importance of involving response organizations in the earliest phases of the innovation process. This cooperative approach ensures that the solutions developed are not only technologically advanced but also practical and directly applicable to the needs on the ground.
The meeting underscored the global commitment to advancing technologies for first responders and highlighted ongoing efforts to close capability gaps through international collaboration and innovation. The development of these technologies continues to focus on practical applications that can be quickly made available to first responders worldwide to enhance their safety and efficiency.