Accelerating bushfire technology adoption

The effects of climate change have resulted in a clear escalation of the global fire threat. The northern hemisphere has just experienced another devastating fire season and the Australian Black Summer bushfires of 2019–20 made headlines across the world.

Those fires, which ran out of control along Australia’s east coast, were a catalyst for change. The NSW Government commissioned an urgent review, and the resulting 2020 NSW Bushfire Inquiry identified the need to develop new technologies to help NSW respond more quickly to the threat of bushfires. 

In response, the NSW Government established the Bushfire Response R&D Mission in 2021, led by the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer within the NSW Department of Enterprise, Investment and Trade. This innovative NSW initiative is fast-tracking the application of research and technology solutions to enable better preparation and response to future bushfire threats, protecting first responders and communities.

‘By their very nature, bushfires are difficult to control and very dangerous, which is why we need to invest in new research and technology to drive innovation in our state’s firefighting response to better protect communities from future natural disasters,’ said NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte. ‘Whether it’s artificial intelligence, drones, sensors or predictive mapping, we need to commercialise disaster-resilient practical solutions, not just in NSW, but across Australia and around the world.’

The Mission aims to strengthen collaborations between industry, government and researchers to drive innovation, including commercial outcomes, and improve planning, preparation and response to bushfires. The Mission’s goal is to nurture and support innovations that have commercial potential and – most importantly – solve real-world bushfire prevention and management problems. 

Four initiatives were established to achieve this:

• Adopt new technologies by supporting innovative NSW businesses to connect with and field test their products with NSW Government agencies through the Bushfire Technology Pilots Program (BTPP). 
• Grow early-stage bushfire technology companies to succeed through the Bushfire Commercialisation Fund (BCF). 
• Inspire NSW students to participate in natural hazards-related STEM activities through the Bushfire STEM in Schools Program. 
• Connect and increase collaborations between businesses, NSW Government agencies and researchers to drive innovation by building a Bushfire R&D Ecosystem.

Why field testing works to increase the adoption of new technologies

Novel and enhanced technologies mitigating the impact of bushfires have the potential to bring substantial social, economic and environmental benefits across the world. The BTPP establishes a systematic approach to provide a highly efficient way for NSW agencies to access technologies and innovations while enabling companies to understand the needs of NSW agencies to ensure their products are fit for purpose.

The testing of products in real-world scenarios collaboratively between companies and NSW agencies speeds up the refinement and adoption process from prototype to viable product. 

Many NSW agencies lack designated personnel or systems to evaluate emerging technologies, so the BTPP fills this gap by simplifying the process for agencies to trial new innovations. At the same time, the BTPP affords companies the opportunity to present their technologies to relevant agency staff, facilitating demonstrations and assessments of suitability.

‘Where lives are at stake, rigorous technology testing prior to procurement and operational deployment is imperative,’ Professor Hugh Durrant-Whyte said. 

What users thought

The reaction of participant Darren Besgrove, the CEO of OneBlink, illustrates how the BTPP’s purpose and strategy changed the way companies can do business with emergency agencies.

OneBlink created an asset-management tool called Good-to-Go that was piloted with Fire & Rescue NSW and the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to check equipment manifests easily and accurately, ensuring staff have all the necessary equipment in the field.

‘The BTPP has catalysed significant activity and business opportunities for Good-to-Go,’ Mr Besgrove said. 

‘Importantly, it wasn’t just about the dollar investment – the commitment of senior staff and on-the-ground firefighters at NSW Fire & Rescue and the NPWS has been significant and vital to developing a usable and relevant product. 

‘Without this commitment the process would have been of limited value.  

‘We are of the firm opinion that the BTPP with its visibility, clarity of purpose and strong commitment from all involved has been a resounding success in the case of the Good-to-Go project.’

Collaborative process 

The OCSE oversees the management of the BTPP and actively works with the companies and participating agencies to create a mutually beneficial, collaborative partnership.

Companies applied for grants through an open application system evaluated by participating NSW agencies and an independent Expert Panel. The assessment gauged whether the proposed technologies addressed specific bushfire management needs and whether the agency could field test them. The Expert Panel then evaluated the technological feasibility and made funding recommendations.

This collaborative process helps foster relationships between the agencies and technology providers, enabling NSW agencies to choose the companies they wanted to collaborate with, without any obligation to procure or deliver specific outcomes. By focusing on funding trials rather than immediate procurement, the program fostered trust between the parties involved and a genuine willingness to work together towards delivering innovative solutions that could have significant impacts if successful. This is particularly crucial for fire-response agencies operating in life and death situations, as thorough testing of technology before procurement and deployment is essential.

To date there have been two funding rounds, with 15 projects supported. The first round (2022–23) supported five companies with their technologies that included providing power to remote sites, real-time monitoring of fire conditions and data and intelligence sharing. This first round is complete and successfully demonstrated the value of field trials for the companies and agencies involved. 

The second round (2023–24) includes ten companies delivering practical software to help on-the-ground situational awareness, and physical tools to help prepare and fight fires, virtual-reality training to help prepare and train firefighters, aviation innovation promising to deliver better radio communications and imagery from remote-piloted aircraft, and software to identify new fires and calculate risk using a range of technologies including social media, satellites and remote sensors to support decision making. 

An expanding influence

The BTPP ignited interest and greater awareness within NSW Government about the potential of technology in preparing for, detecting and responding to bushfires. This was evidenced by a heightened interest and participation by NSW agencies in the second round, with a doubling of supported companies.

The technologies piloted during Round 1 showcased their capability to furnish more precise, detailed and dependable data on fuel moisture in remote locales, as well as equipment inventories. Moreover, these technologies revealed prospects for broader application in tackling other challenges, such as visitor counting or identifying threatened species.

The BTPP model of funding collaboration between industry and government agencies offers a valuable blueprint that can be replicated to address other pivotal challenges or priority domains. 

Examples in action

Fire Hazard & Environmental Monitoring Kit – Meshed Pty Ltd

Meshed Pty Ltd trialled its Fire Hazard and Environmental Monitoring technology with the NPWS. 

The result is consistent environmental data from remote locations – providing real-time weather station and fuel-moisture information over LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) data networks on an online dashboard. 

Better data means better decisions and the ability to easily track trends and start identifying decision trigger points. 

Daily quarter-hour readings on an online dashboard compare with the existing time-consuming and manual information gathered by staff driving long distances to remote sites to check for rainfall and fuel moisture. 

NPWS is now trialling LoRaWAN networks to collect park management data that informs risks assessments relating to impacts of weather, natural hazards and geotechnical risks. 

Smart Power Cell – Decon Technologies

Decon Technologies’ Smart Power Cell (SPC) is stand-alone backup power system that provides immediate power supply when infrastructure has been destroyed in emergency situations.

The SPC integrates solar, wind and traditional generators with a unique battery storage solution and can operate for up to 24 weeks, depending on site loads.

The SPC was trialled at a NPWS radio tower that previously ran entirely from mains power and had a history of power failure. 

Since November 2022 the site has been running off grid, more cheaply and by using solar power is putting less CO₂ into the atmosphere.

Many of these SPCs already power total communications sites for large telcos where power is yet to be installed. 

Much has been achieved in a short time. Early outcomes from the Mission are accelerating the testing and adoption of new technologies by NSW agencies and supporting early-stage businesses to scale and grow. 

For more information, go to www.chiefscientist.nsw.gov.au/bushfire-mission