VIDEOS: A technology born right in the Queen City is now keeping firefighters safe nationwide.
"Florian" is a piece of software that tracks first responders when in burning buildings.
The idea for this technology was born out of tragedy, when two Buffalo firefighters were killed responding to a fire on Genesee Street, back in 2009. Patrick O'Conner, the developer of this software and a former Grand Island firefighter, told me he knew there had to be a better way to protect responders in the line of duty, so he decided to create it himself.
When duty calls, firefighters are sometimes dispatched simultaneously and even before ambulances, to provide quick medical intervention.
3AM Innovations president and co-founder Patrick O'Conner said, "For an active shooter, the first responders that get there sometimes are the firefighters, for medical aid and whatnot. Having the ability to know where they are and where the safety areas are for them to actually stage at, is critical."