John H. Oates, former fire chief of the East Hartford Fire Department in Connecticut, has been named the new CEO of the International Public Safety Data Institute by the organization’s board of directors. Oates replaces Dr. Lori Moore-Merrell, who was appointed to lead the U.S. Fire Administration by President Joe Biden in October.
“Educating fire departments around the country on how to leverage technology and data to provide lifesaving insights is my mission,” said Oates. “We can’t keep using 1981 procedures, techniques and data to solve 2021 problems. The fire service needs to improve how it views and applies information in its decision making, and IPSDI has two products in NFORS and FireCARES that are uniquely positioned to help rethink the future of safety in communities across America.”