Blackline Safety wins second Firehouse Innovation Award

Blackline Safety has won a 2026 Firehouse Innovation Award for its G8 safety wearable, marking the company's second consecutive win in the programme.

The Firehouse Innovation Awards recognise technology used in firefighting and emergency response. Blackline said G8 was selected for improving situational awareness and supporting safer decision-making during complex incidents.

G8 is a wearable device used by fire and hazardous materials teams. It combines gas detection, lone-worker protection, real-time communication and live field data, with Blackline Live serving as the supporting software platform.

According to Blackline, the system goes beyond traditional gas detectors that issue only a local alarm by also giving command teams live gas readings, alerts and location data from the field. The information is sent to the cloud, allowing supervisors and dispatch teams to monitor incidents remotely.

Growing Use

The award comes as Blackline reports broader adoption of its connected safety products among fire and hazmat organisations. Earlier this year, it said its fire-hazmat customer base had grown by 42%, bringing the number of fire departments using its connected personal and area monitors to more than 500 worldwide.

The growth points to rising demand for systems that give incident commanders more direct visibility of personnel operating in dangerous environments. Firefighters and hazmat teams often work in fast-changing conditions, where gas exposure, isolation and limited communication can increase operational risk.

One department cited by Blackline is the New Bedford Fire Department in Massachusetts, which has used G8's remote-monitoring functions in its response work. Travis Rebello, Hazardous Materials Coordinator and Firefighter at the New Bedford Fire Department, described how the device sends information to his phone during incidents.

"With G8, I now have alerts sent to my phone, so when my guys go into an LEL (Lower Explosive Limit) environment or any type of high alarm, I'm immediately notified," said Travis Rebello, Hazardous Materials Coordinator and Firefighter at the New Bedford Fire Department. "As I'm on the phone with my dispatcher, I can get immediate answers to questions such as: What are they into? Do they need assistance? For situational awareness and firefighter safety, this has greatly increased our capability."

Blackline also said G8 and Blackline Live received two 2026 Occupational Health & Safety Industrial Hygiene Awards in the IoT connected devices and software categories, respectively. The wins add to a broader list of product recognition for the company's safety monitoring range.

Personal Stakes

For Rebello, the importance of such equipment extends beyond operational oversight. He linked connected monitoring directly to the fact that members of his own family also work in the fire service.

"Both of my sons work fire. One works on the fire department with me, and one works in the next town over, so it's not just my guys, my kids are here. I trust them with Blackline," he said.

Blackline, based in Calgary, sells wearable devices, gas-monitoring tools and cloud-based software to organisations managing hazardous work. Its products are used by customers in more than 75 countries, and its systems have logged more than 336 billion data points and initiated more than eight million emergency alerts, according to the company.

The latest recognition highlights a part of the safety market where connectivity is becoming increasingly central to incident management. Rather than relying only on alarms at the scene, departments are increasingly looking for tools that allow commanders to see conditions and personnel status as events unfold.

Jon Baldwin, Chief Executive Officer of Blackline Safety, said the award reflected feedback from emergency services users.

"Firefighters and hazmat teams face unpredictable environments, where knowing what's happening in real time can make all the difference," said Jon Baldwin, Chief Executive Officer of Blackline Safety. "G8 connects the people on the front lines with the teams responsible for keeping them safe. This recognition reflects the feedback we constantly receive from fire departments that better visibility and communication give responders the confidence to do their jobs and get home safe."