During incidents and crises, operational officers must make rapid decisions under significant pressure. Access to the right information and experience at the right moment can make all the difference. Co-Commander supports operational officers of the Safety Region Noord- en Oost-Gelderland (VNOG) by making relevant operational knowledge immediately available during incident response. This is done through a virtual incident responder that analyses available incident information and data from the dispatch center, places it within the structure of the incident classification system and then searches for organisation-specific documentation, such as handbooks and protocols,. This information is translated into situational guidance and concrete action perspectives. In doing so, Co-Commander enhances professional competence of operational officers and supports risk assessment and hazard recognition, while it prevents blind spots, particularly in complex or rare incidents. The fundamental principle of Co-Commander is that humans always are and remain in the lead. The assistant provides support and situational guidance, without taking over decision-making. Critical knowledge is made immediately available to operational professionals who stand ready for society when it matters most, thereby improving the quality, safety and consistency of the operational response.
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Ambition: Strengthening Professional Competence and Addressing Knowledge Needs Emergency responders are facing increasing pressure due to: •the growing volume of information that must be applied more rapidly and accurately; •rising societal expectations that assume flawless performance; •changes in staffing composition, such as an ageing workforce, shorter career spans, and a decline in operational experience. Co-Commander addresses these structural challenges by making critical knowledge available in an automated, contextual, and action-oriented way. It supports professionals precisely at the moment it is needed, without replacing human judgement or decision-making. It is our ambition to develop Co-Commander into an essential instrument that strengthens professional competence, enhances operational confidence and improves the quality of incident response and crisis management.
Co-Commander demonstrates the strength of its innovative approach by introducing a solution that, to the best of our knowledge, is currently not available anywhere in the market: a system that provides context-dependent operational support to professionals in incident response and crisis management. Co-Commander includes: •Automatic identification of risks, critical points of interest and operational response options based on real-time incident data; •And advancesIntegration of six specialised LLMs within a single architecture for filtering, enrichment, interpretation and translation of documentation into useful guidance; •Exclusive use of validated, organisation-specific documentation, ensuring reliability, traceability, and consistency; •Designed according to the principle of “human in the lead”: AI supports, but never takes control or replaces professional judgement. This innovation prevents blind spots, particularly in rare or complex incidents, and strengthens professionals at the moments when support is most critical.
In the Netherlands 5300 fire service incident commanders, 640 (Head) Officers on Duty and numerous crisis management officers are involved in incident response and crisis management. Co-Commander resolves several key challenges they face in their operational work. 1. Increasingly Complex Incidents and Rising Pressure Operational officers are confronted with large volumes of information, rapidly evolving situations, and intense decision-making pressure. In such contexts, the risk of errors or overlooking critical hazards increases significantly, especially when knowledge about specific or rare scenarios is not immediately ready for use. Co-Commander provides real-time support by identifying relevant risks, highlighting critical attention points and proposing appropriate suggestions. This enhances the quality of decision-making and improves operational safety. 2. Growing Pressure on Professional Competence Shorter career spans, an ageing workforce, and changes in staffing composition make it increasingly challenging to bring staff to the required competence level and maintain it over time. This creates a dependency on individual experience, which may not always be available when it is needed most. Co-Commander makes critical knowledge situationally and automatically accessible, increasing operational confidence, particularly for less experienced professionals. 3. Lack of Practical, Context-Dependent Support During Operations During incidents, professionals must actively search for relevant information and documentation and filter what is applicable from a large volume of information. In high-stress situations, this is not always feasible or valuable time may be lost. Co-Commander reverses this process by automatically providing users with relevant, context-specific information. The system aligns with the nature of the incident and the operational phase and is capable of summarising the information that is available.
Co-Commander has been created in co-creation with an innovative startup, which is part of the project team. The team consists of a project team, which includes a core team that works intensively on the project, and an advisory group. The core team consists of 6 people: Johan Seij (Accountmanager) Maryvon Wortelboer (Communication) Emiel Sanders (Testing & Technology) Martijn Veurink (Policy & Architecture) Thari Hazelaar (Project Advisor) Mayra Westerhof (Projectleader)
Co-Commander has been created in co-creation with an innovative startup, which is part of the project team. The team consists of a project team, which includes a core team that works intensively on the project, and an advisory group. The core team consists of 6 people: Johan Seij (Accountmanager) Maryvon Wortelboer (Communication) Emiel Sanders (Testing & Technology) Martijn Veurink (Policy & Architecture) Thari Hazelaar (Project Advisor) Mayra Westerhof (Projectleader)