New Technology to Fight Wildfires
With the increase of fire activity across the country, new technology to fight wildfires is helping transform the industry.
Technology that helps firefighters respond more safely to woodland fires has seen huge development in recent years.
Some new wildfire technology includes improved cameras, drones, robots, AI implemented to address wildfire concerns, and virtual reality training.
The Need for New Fire Technology
Fire seasons are growing in duration and intensity throughout the world. When fires go unnoticed for long periods of time, they become a greater danger to the surrounding area as they build beyond what firefighters can easily contain.The expanding wild land urban interface also bring human being, and communities closer to areas that are higher risk for
wildfires. There is always a need to improve tech for fast fire detection, thoughtful response planning, and firefighting practices that save lives.
Drones
New Technology to Fight Wildfires: One tactic to fight is by using aircraft. However, this is dangerous for both pilots and firefighters. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 26% of all wild land firefighter fatalities are related to aviation. Aerial firefighting must balance the health risks of smoke inhalation and poor visibility, and fights are limited by high winds and air turbulence caused by radiant heat from the fire.Instead of risking pilot and firefighter lives in the air, states are beginning to use drone; unmanned aerial systems that can be piloted remotely or with autonomous flight software. Firefighting drones designed to survey the area are equipped with high definition, infrared, and thermal imaging cameras.
Along with surveying, drones can set prescribed burns in the path of approaching wildfires. With an attachment, drones can drop hundreds of ping pong ball sized incendiary devices to start purposeful fires that reduce fuel ahead of the larger fire. Using drones for this is safer than using helicopters, and firefighters can precisely per program the drone’s route.
AI and Machine Learning
There has been a growing interest in applying artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to disaster management. Machine learning is a surgically programmed to perform functions. There is great potential for firefighting teams to use AI to assess historical and current wildfire data when considering fire response.
In home fire situations, AI can also help firefighters find rescue victims more quickly. Researchers from the National Opprobrium in Edinburgh, Scotland, have developed and AI helmet attachment that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to help firefighters find and rescue victims faster. The hardware has sensors, thermal cameras, and radar technology to help.
Tower Mounted Cameras
Wildfires often in start in remote locations, which make it difficult to report. Installing cameras in wild land is one way to detect fires, but network service can be unreliable. One solution is to install cameras on towers, which give a wide vies, and to mount microwave dishes and other instruments alongside the cameras to relay data quickly.Pan Tilt Zoom fire cameras and their accessory instruments help identify or confirm fire locations and magnitudes, monitor fire growth, contribute to planning approaches by mapping the aria, and monitor to ensure fires are contained and suppressed.
Firefighting Robots
Fires pose a huge danger to human life, but robots can directly fires in ways that would put humans at risk.With heat sensing cameras and on board water or other fire retardants, these machines can navigate steep terrain or enter
burning homes to fight fires directly. Most of the robots currently in use are controlled remotely by firefighters, but researchers are beginning to combine AI with robots that enables the robots to make decisions about the best firefighting strategies on their own.
Robots are also able to carry equipment or evacuate people from an area, risking firefighter’s safety in dangerous conditions. They can deliver situation assessments with thermal and infrared cameras on the ground or in the air.
Virtual, Mixed, Augmented Reality
New Technology to Fight Wildfires: Live training for firefighters is essential to teach and test their skills and decision making in the field. Training exercises have resulted in firefighter injury or death. The U.S. Fire administration reported that, in 2008-19,110 firefighters were killed during training.
In 2020, the USFA recommended using virtual reality simulations for firefighter training. Virtual reality employs computer generated simulations, near eye displays, and pose tracking to allow a person to interact with a three dimensional image or Space.Using VR for firefighter training conserves resources that would be used up in training, allows for training to happen anytime and anywhere, delivers scenario that can be repeated or simulated with multiple responses to the same situation, and takes place in safe training environment.
Conclusion
There are even more exciting fire response solutions that are possible by combining tech. For example, the company piano networks tower mounted cameras, satellite data, field sensors, and other data with AI supported
rapid data analysis to quickly identify and plan wildfire response plans. Wildfire technology is always evolving to safe and creative responses to fire emergencies.