Ongoing and Completed Projects

Raspberry Pi Home Server
Fire Company IT

Raspberry Pi Home Server

Why Have a Home Server

A home server could have many different uses, performing anything from home automation, to automated backups and storage, to hosting a website, to running your own VPN,… the list goes on. The question then turns to what equipment should one choose. If storage is the primary purpose, a few manufacturers sell dedicated commercial hardware to do just that with built in data redundancy. If the other functions are more interesting, you can use any computer laying around. This was the route I went since I wanted extra room to play around and switch up the applications I was running. I decided to use a Raspberry Pi 4 that I was not using elsewhere as a starting rig since it’s very small (about the size of a deck of cards), inexpensive, and very power efficient (for the environment, yes, but also because I am just out of college and money is always tight.)

What services or programs did I want to run

I have about a dozen or so Phillips Hue bulbs around my house and I was cursed with the thought of  “could I automate these even more.” This inevitably led to a trip around the internet looking for varying solutions people had come up with, resulting in a few final contenders. I valued being able to tinker with all the little details, while also recognizing I was very new to this space so it needed to have an approachable learning curve. I ultimately settled on installing Home Assistant which would interface with all the devices I needed it to, and not be impossible to learn. I am also running a program called PiHole which acts as a personal DNS server to help block ads for any device connected to my WiFi. While with anything networking related, there were a number of hiccups and times I broke everything, it was a trial by fire and I learned a lot more about how the internet actually works.

Fire Company IT

With my underlying interest in IT and emerging technologies elsewhere in my life, it is no surprise that interest carried over to my involvement in the Orchard Park Fire Company. I have had the chance to work with my officers above me on a few different projects, but the highlights in my opinion are the below.

  • Expanding the utilization of IamResponding; a web based software package designed to give responders better access in information needed during the management of emergencies. 
  • Installation and management of a dashboard in the truck bay displaying the IamResponding main page and providing information such as a map view of emergency scene with markers indicating route, hydrants, and more.
  • Involvement in the implementation of the company’s new electronic health record system involving a full featured software package and mobile computers in each ambulance.

Leadership

At the end of 2021, I was elected by the Orchard Park Fire Company to serve as the Rescue Lieutenant beginning in the new year.

In this position, I am responsible for:

  • the care and maintenance of the 3 ambulance assigned to the company, 
  • Acting as the officer in command in the absence of all superior officers, and
  • Assisting the Rescue Captain in planning and executing EMS and Rescue training.