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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It is the ambition to develop Co-Commander into an essential instrument that strengthens professional competence, enhances operational confidence and improves the safety and quality of incident response and crisis management.
Co-Commander demonstrates the strength of its innovative approach by offering a solution that, to the best of our knowledge, is currently unavailable on the market: a system that provides context-dependent operational support for professionals in incident response and crisis management. The system automatically identifies risks, critical points of interest, and operational response options based on real-time incident data. It also integrates several specialised large language models within a single architecture to filter, enrich, interpret, and translate documentation into actionable guidance. By exclusively using validated, organisation-specific documentation, Co-Commander ensures reliability, traceability, and consistency. The system is designed according to the principle of “human in the lead,” meaning that AI supports professionals without ever taking control or replacing professional judgement. This innovation helps prevent blind spots, particularly during rare or complex incidents, and strengthens professionals at the moments when support is needed most.
In the Netherlands, 5,300 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, including increasingly complex incidents and rising decision-making pressure, growing pressure on professional competence due to workforce developments and reduced experience levels, and the lack of practical, context-dependent support during operations. By automatically providing relevant, situational information and operational guidance, Co-Commander strengthens decision-making, improves operational safety, and ensures that critical knowledge is immediately accessible when it is needed most.
Co-Commander has been created in co-creation with an innovative startup that is part of the project team. The project team furthermore consist of several professionals in the field of incident response and crisis management. In addition,Co-Commander is being developed in close collaboration with and with strong involvement from potential end-users.
Co-Commander has been created in co-creation with an innovative startup that is part of the project team. The project team furthermore consist of several professionals in the field of incident response and crisis management. In addition,Co-Commander is being developed in close collaboration with and with strong involvement from potential end-users.