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In this episode of First Response, Former Navy EOD diver Barton Bollfrass has spent a career working in chaos. Now, he builds training that lets first responders experience that chaos without the body count. His Fathom Tanks simulator puts crews into fast-moving water around real vehicles, with “victims” who do not cooperate, sirens, lightning, and the noise and pressure that make real scenes so hard. Teams can fail, reset in seconds, and go again - until moving, talking, and making decisions under stress feels natural, not overwhelming.
In his RoboRounds lab, Barton takes the same practical approach to gear. His work on ceramic rounds that let officers break complex vehicle glass from a safer distance led to a collaboration with PepperBall and the VXR Shatter. His payloads that that snags drone rotors instead of using explosives, and that smear hostile optics so cameras and sensors stop working without tearing up property, give officers more time and space to work a problem instead of rushing it.
The common thread is simple: realistic stress, straightforward technology, and solutions built around what actually happens in the field - flooded cars, drones in the sky, and cameras everywhere. It is innovation aimed at one outcome: helping first responders go home at the end of the shift. Listen to the full episode here:
