7 Apps Every Fire Department Should Know About in 2026
From the rookie's first EV call to the chief's next apparatus buy, this is the app stack we're seeing in the smartest departments right now.
We build XpertFire, our VR firefighter training platform. But VR isn’t the only piece of tech changing how the fire service trains, responds, and manages a call. Our team spends a lot of time on the road at conferences, in fire halls, and on demo days, and we hear the same names come up over and over.
Here are 7 non-VR apps and platforms we think every fire department should at least know about in 2026. Roughly ordered from what a probie needs on their first EV call to what a chief needs when they’re planning next year’s fleet.
None of these paid us to be on this list. We’re just fans.
#1. EV Rescue App
Category: Fireground reference Site: EvRescueApp.
Built by a firefighter, EV Rescue app is a searchable database of emergency response guides for electric and hybrid vehicles, plus EV charging stations. You get OEM vehicle-specific info on battery locations, lifting and stabilization points, high-voltage cable routes, fuel-cell locations, and manufacturer disable procedures. Easily identify the vehicle using the VIN decoder feature on the app.
Why it matters: EV calls aren’t rare anymore. Every crew is going to run one, and the response varies by make, model, and year. Having every manufacturer’s guide on the tablet in the cab means the first-in company officer isn’t guessing. Works on iOS and Android, single-user or apparatus. Download the app today, search “EV RESCUE” on your app store
#2. Buxus
Category: Fireground reference Site: buxus.io
Buxus (Latin for “pipe”) is the pipeline version of EV Rescue. Free app that gives responders critical pipeline info without needing cell or Wi-Fi coverage. You get the operator’s identity, a direct line to their control center, the product being carried and its hazards, plus line location, size, and operating pressure.
Why it matters: Pipeline incidents are high-consequence and low-frequency, which is the worst combination for training retention. Buxus puts the information you need in the palm of your hand at the moment you need it. Backed by the National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC) and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC). Free, no subscription, no ads.
#3. Assist Fire (by Decisolve)
Category: Training and continuous improvement Site: decisolve.ca
Assist-Fire is an AI-powered platform that helps training officers build department-specific scenarios and lesson plans fast. Fire suppression, crew resource management, decision-making under pressure, hoseline advancement, search and rescue, incident command. Decisolve is our partner in the Canadian Training Technology Consortium, and they’re one of the more thoughtful teams we’ve seen on the AI-for-training question.
Why it matters: Most training officers we talk to are running teams of one or two. Assist-Fire cuts the time between “we need a new scenario for tonight’s drill” and “here it is, printed and ready.” It doesn’t replace the training officer, it gives them their evenings back.
#4. Hotwash
Category: After-action reports Site: hotwash.com
Hotwash is an AI-powered after-action report tool built by folks with a Ranger Regiment background, where AARs are baked into how the unit operates. Crews record observations by voice at the scene, no typing, no paperwork. Everything flows into one organized AAR with strengths, challenges, and training recommendations surfaced automatically.
Why it matters: The best learning after any call happens in the first 30 minutes on the tailgate. Most of that conversation gets lost. Hotwash captures it, structures it, and turns it into a real training input. If your department is trying to build a learning culture without adding paperwork, this is the one to look at.
#5. IC Mobile Command Board (IC Mobile Command App)
Category: Incident command Site: icmobileapp.com
IC Mobile Command Board brings the whiteboard into 2026. It’s a digital incident command tool with accountability tracking, MAYDAY timers, real-time safety data, and a clean visual command board that any officer can pick up quickly. Instead of grease-pencil on plexiglass and a stopwatch on the dash, you’ve got a running digital record that’s shareable and searchable after the call.
Why it matters: Incident command is where the biggest gap sits between how fire departments have always done it and where the industry needs to go. A digital command board makes PAR timers automatic, accountability continuous, and after-action review actually possible. Combined with something like Hotwash, you’ve got a complete record of the call.
#6. Perimeter (Perimeter Platform)
Category: Multi-agency and large-scale incident coordination Site: perimeterplatform.com
Perimeter is a real-time collaborative platform for large-scale incidents. Two products: Perimeter Plan (AI-based evacuation zone planning) and Perimeter Map (a public-facing shared map that unites first responders, mutual aid agencies, and citizens in one common operating picture). Founded by Bailey Farren, it started as a research project at UC Berkeley and is now in California, Alabama, Florida, and adding new states almost weekly.
Why it matters: When an incident scales past one department, coordinating agencies and communicating with the public is where things fall apart. Perimeter gives incident commanders one place to share what’s evacuated, what’s threatened, what’s re-opened, and what the public needs to know. Wildfire, flood, active shooter, hurricane, all of it. If you’re a chief thinking about the next big call your community faces, this is worth a look now, not after.
#7. Garage
Category: Fleet and procurement Site: shopgarage.com
Garage is an online marketplace for used fire trucks, ambulances, and specialty apparatus. Think Kelley Blue Book for fire trucks, plus freight, warranty, and financing built in. Departments upgrading their fleet can sell older-but-still-solid apparatus to a smaller or rural department that can’t touch the price of new. Fair market value, trusted platform, done properly.
Why it matters: New apparatus delivery times are 1 to 2 years for ambulances and up to 5 years for fire trucks. A new engine now often runs over $1M. Garage is one of the answers to a fleet problem that isn’t going away. Full disclosure: we’re on there too, our XpertFire kits are listed on Garage.
Where XpertFire Fits
The 7 above are our current favourites on the non-VR side of the fire service tech stack. On the VR side, our own tool is XpertFire, our standalone VR training platform for crew-level decision-making, search and rescue, communication, and incident command.
The way we think about it: none of these tools replace training on the fireground or in a live burn. They add reps, they cut friction, they turn moments that used to disappear (the tailgate conversation, the whiteboard chaos, the pipeline call at 3 AM with no cell signal) into information you can act on. That’s the same reason we built XpertFire. Different piece of the puzzle, same idea.
If you want to see how XpertFire fits alongside any of the tools above, book a 30-minute call.
