Device, system and method for controlling environmental devices at a smart building to assist a first responder

A public-safety computing device comprising:

• a communication unit configured to communicate with a smart-building control device;
• and
• a controller;
• and
• a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon program instructions that, when executed by the controller, causes the controller to perform a set of operations comprising:
• determining a context of a first responder at a smart building, the context comprising one or more of:
• an objective to be achieved by the first responder in the smart building;
• and an object-of-interest in the smart building for which evidence is to be collected;
• and
• communicating, via the communication unit, with the smart-building control device, to control environmental devices at the smart building to assist the first responder with respect to the context,
• wherein the controller is communicatively coupled to the smart-building control device, and the set of operations further comprises controlling the environmental devices to assist the first responder with respect to the context, by one or more of:
• controlling a lighting device to increase light emitted;
• controlling the lighting device to decrease the light emitted;
• controlling the lighting device to change a lighting parameter;
• controlling a sound-making device to increase sound emitted;
• controlling the sound-making device to decrease the sound emitted;
• controlling an access-control device to permit access by the first responder;
• controlling the access-control device to deny access to a suspect being tracked by the first responder;
• controlling a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) device to one or more of:
• increase or decrease respective sound emitted;
• decrease smoke;
• prevent air circulation one or more of to and from a defined space of the smart building;
• control the air circulation one or more of to and from the defined space of the smart building;
• moving one or more movable walls;
• opening one or more blinds;
• closing one or more blinds;
• and
• controlling one or more specific lights of the smart building to adjust a local lighting level to illuminate an object held by a person in the smart building, the person defined by the context.

A method comprising:

• determining, at a public-safety computing device, a context of a first responder at a smart building, the public-safety computing device in communication with a smart-building control device, the context comprising one or more of:
• an objective to be achieved by the first responder in the smart building;
• and an object-of-interest in the smart building for which evidence is to be collected;
• communicating, at the public-safety computing device, with the smart-building control device, to control environmental devices at the smart building to assist the first responder with respect to the context;
• determining a quality of data collected by a first responder device, the data defined with respect to the context;
• and
• in response to determining that the quality of the data fails a threshold condition, communicating with the smart-building control device, to control one or more of the environmental devices to one or more of:
• improve the quality of the data;
• and improve the quality of the data to meet the threshold condition.