Today’s structure fires aren’t the same ones your grandparents- or even your parents- faced 50 years ago. After World War II, most homes were filled with furnishings made from natural materials like solid wood, cotton, and wool. These fuels ignited more slowly, released less heat, and gave firefighters time to get under the smoke to make the rescue or put the fire out.

But the post-war economic boom brought something new. With an abundance of crude oil and a wave of innovation, manufactured materials took over American homes (the Baby Boomers say: “you’re welcome”). Polyurethane foam, plastics, and polyester became the new normal. These materials burn faster, hotter, and release thick, toxic smoke that’s quick to flash over with the introduction of oxygen.

Fires that once reached flashover in 15-20 minutes now do it in under five.

In my career, I’ve rolled up to many fires that were “ripping,” as we say in the business-fully developed, burning throughout the structure, and often threatening neighboring homes.

When Fires Move This Fast, Every Second Counts

This accelerating pace makes speed and precision in response non-negotiable. Traditional dispatch systems, often relying on static information and manual updates, simply can’t keep up. Fire departments need real-time data to deploy faster, track crews more accurately, and manage evolving scenes with clarity.

When a fire goes from ignition to full-room involvement in minutes, every second saved in communication and coordination can be the difference between rescue and loss.

Faster Isn’t Enough-It Has to Be Smarter

Modern firefighting must lean on technology not just to move faster, but to make better decisions in the moment. Real-time crew tracking, automatic dispatch optimization, and situational awareness tools give incident commanders a live view of where units are, how long they’ve been on scene, and what resources are engaged.

In synthetic-fueled fires with limited ventilation, conditions can turn deadly in an instant. Commanders don’t have time to manage information-they need to act on it.

That’s where cutting-edge, at-a-glance technology changes everything.

Built by Firefighters, for Firefighters

If we want to keep pace with modern fires, we have to modernize the tools we use to fight them. Faster fire behavior demands faster and smarter response tools. At Tablet Command, we’ve been delivering exactly that for more than a decade.

We’re not a tech company guessing at the needs of the fire service. We’re firefighters who’ve felt the heat, made the rescues, and built a tool to help others do the same.

Want to see how departments are using Tablet Command to stay ahead of the heat?

Schedule some time and we’ll walk you through how it works. See why Tablet Command is trusted by thousands of departments across North America.