Retirements and turnover have hollowed out the ranks that carry your tribal knowledge. The lessons that prevent the next tragedy are walking out the door. Hotwash fixes that.
Trusted across the nation
“We used Hotwash after a structure fire where several of our members were injured. Instead of relying on informal after-action conversations, Hotwash allowed us to capture individual perspectives and bring them into one clear, organized record. That made it possible to confirm our tactics were sound while identifying specific training objectives to improve going forward. Knowing what we do well and what we need to work on was invaluable.”
Roy Gagne
Deputy Chief
Norwalk Fire Department
“We don’t implement new tech without the crew’s blessing. After completing the Hotwash pilot, we saw an incredible 97% positive response rate from the line. It’s rare to see that level of approval for anything.”
Harry Tulier
Assistant Chief
Hartford Fire Department
Talking it out at the tailboard isn’t enough anymore.
The fire service has always taught through stories. But when the people telling the stories retire, the lessons retire too, and the next generation relearns them the hard way.
And the people who stay forget too.
Even when the right people are in the room, most of the detail from a call is gone within a day if it isn’t written down.
Memory retention over time
After 20 minutes
47%
After 1 hour
37%
After 1 day
32%
After 6 days
17%
Even when it’s written down, it has to be acted on.
Keep your tailboard talks. Hotwash makes them count.
How it works
With and without Hotwash
Same crews, same tailboard talks. The difference is what happens to the lessons afterward.
WITHOUT HOTWASH
Formal reviews are reserved for major incidents, a few times a year.
Write-ups take weeks to months to publish.
One author chases interviews to piece together what happened.
Details are lost to time, most of them gone by shift change.
Each shift and station learns on its own. The rest never hear it.
New members get the SOP, not how your crews actually handled it.
Lessons live in one person’s head and retire with them.
WITH HOTWASH
Every working fire and special operation gets reviewed, not just the big ones.
A report is ready by the next morning.
Every crew’s perspective, captured by voice at the tailboard in about 2 minutes.
Details are captured while they’re fresh.
Lessons land in your department’s knowledge library, searchable by anyone.
New members ask how your crews handled a building and get answers cited to real calls.
Experience stays with the department when people retire.
Start here, then grow
You don’t need everything on day one. Most departments start by capturing lessons, then add more as their library grows.
Compliance and records, handled
Easy implementation
Ready to run a Hotwash pilot?
Start with a 30-day pilot. Send us your past incident reports and SOPs and we’ll load them in. Run it on real calls, then let the line decide.
Reviews From The Field
“After a recent downed aircraft response, 16 responders used the talk-to-text feature right at the tailboard. We captured everyone’s input immediately, and the AI summary highlighted key strengths and issues that directly shaped a stronger formal AAR. It saved us hours and ensured nothing was missed. This is the kind of tool that truly helps us get better with every call.”
Brian Koczak
Assistant Chief
Branford Fire Department
“We used Hotwash to identify the training subjects for our 2027 plan. It takes real-world incidents and shows you where you needed help or where you’re weak. That’s what we really like about it: we can build off of that and shape our training plan from there.”
Chase Longmiller
Assistant Chief
Sheboygan Fire Department
Start capturing your department’s lessons and acting on them.
“In the 75th Ranger Regiment, we used hard-won lessons from every operation to continuously improve. Hotwash brings that to your crews.”
Ross Puritty, Founder & CEO