Megatrends
There are a thousand illnesses, but only one health – this old saying probably shapes society more than ever before. It is not just health-conscious people as individuals who strive for a healthy mind and body. Health itself is becoming a more important issue in society as a whole, affecting a large part of our lives, including those in the fire service. Emergency services are increasingly focusing on reducing stress and consistently adhering to operational hygiene. Health prevention and strengthening mind-body fitness are also becoming increasingly important factors for emergency services in order to be able to withstand mental and physical stress. Digital tools such as smart watches and smart wearables are increasingly being used to monitor vital status before, during and after operations.
The “Silver Society” megatrend is shaped by demographic change. Society is getting older all over the world, but life expectancy is also increasing, so many people are still active in old age, which brings with it both challenges and opportunities in many aspects for the fire service sector. Experienced emergency personnel can remain in active service longer in their non-retirement phase and pass on methodological knowledge, which will also benefit the younger generations. Due to the impending decline in the number of young talent, the so-called Golden Mentors will be an important support for maintaining the effectiveness of the emergency services. This also places demands on the operation of vehicles and equipment, which must be equally suitable for different generations within a fire service. New technologies and support tools can also increase natural physical strength, for example when lifting and moving heavy loads.
More and more people in the world have access to good education. Knowledge is thus becoming a common good, especially thanks to advancing digitalization and networking. "Knowledge culture" as a megatrend is characterized by lifelong learning and describes how learning and training are changing in the age of information explosion and virtuality, including for the fire service sector. Digital media provide ever easier access to an ever-increasing amount of information, which also makes differentiating between facts and fake news more and more challenging. Online and live video broadcasts make it possible to conduct training over long distances in real time. Virtual training with simulators complements conventional training and further education methods due to the high complexity of the requirements as well as for ecological and economic reasons.