Two things are common in the 21st century: the next natural disaster is never far away and technology is never far from our reach. Clearly, the latter is part of the solution to the first. In fact the Royal Commission…
New geoprocessing tool to overhaul planning in bushfire-prone areas
The NSW Rural Fire Service (NSW RFS) has a statutory obligation to assess development applications (DAs) through referrals and concurrences for all planning proposals in bushfire-prone areas. This includes assessing proposed developments for Bushfire Attack Level (BAL). The existing process…
From bushfires to bytes
How a need for first responders to regain time, and streamline the activities associated with managing and maintaining equipment sparked an idea that resonates across the emergency services sector. Why is this so hard? This is a story that repeats…
From ashes to innovation: the emergence of the fire-tech industry
Throughout history, adversity has often ignited unparalleled innovation. The crucible of World War II witnessed the emergence of pivotal advancements – penicillin, jet engines and the electric computer – all essential products born of necessity during a global conflict. Moving…
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…
Technology empowers firefighters in battles against blazes
Within an uncanny certainty, the team of Portuguese civil protection authority firefighters assured us there would be wildfires starting at 11am. They were right. Our trusty Cessna 182 was airborne before lunch, and by dinner we had flown over more…
New technology from Wormald helps mitigate fire risks for heavy vehicles and mobile equipment
The prevalence of fire-related incidents for heavy vehicles is on the rise, with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR) reporting a lack of preventative maintenance as one of the most significant risks of heavy-vehicle fires, along with wheel-bearing failure, defective…
New earth observation hotspot product launched
Preceding this coming bushfire season, a team of researchers at RMIT University in collaboration with Geoscience Australia will release a new hotspot product that makes observations available every 10 minutes, day and night, customised for Australian conditions. he new product…
Award-winning just-in-time innovation
The fire-protection industry is accustomed to change and innovation. Despite being able to trace its roots back at least 2,000 years to ancient Roman times, the fire-protection industry is forward-thinking and has generally demonstrated a willingness to adopt technology and…
Changing the way we predict and respond to fire nationally
Nova Systems Geospatial (formerly Geoplex) has worked closely with AFAC and NSW RFS to tackle the largest change to the fire danger rating systems in a generation. The Australian Fire Danger Rating System (AFDRS) programme is shifting the way we…
When fires cause storms
New technology is now available that predicts fire-generated thunderstorms, prompted by a sharp increase in the number of these storms and associated extreme fire events such as the devastating bushfires they caused in the 2019–20 fire season. Fire-generated thunderstorms, sometimes…
IoT-enabled valve monitoring system can ease inspection burden
A new wireless valve monitoring system, which recently earned the FM Approvals certification, promises to help organizations lower the cost of monitoring critical sprinkler control (and isolation) valves and make it easier to receive alerts and other information from anywhere,…
Bushfire-fighting future state – how do we get to artificial intelligence, data and cloud?
In 1955, General Electric invented GERT. GERT was a computer and at the time the fastest in the world. Today, your phone is 927 million times more powerful than GERT. In 1955, people held hoses and pointed them at fires.…
Providing a clear picture of landscape dryness
The Australian Flammability Monitoring System provides a clear picture of vegetation and soil dryness across the Australian landscape, assisting fire and land managers with their operational decisions. Fire and land managers are now benefiting from the world’s first near-real-time web…
OroraTech develops the first global wildfire intelligence service
The 2020 wildfire season of the West Coast in the United States painted a familiar picture of the damage we saw in Australia in the 2019/2020 season. High temperatures and dry vegetation fuelled record-breaking fire spreads, causing damage to millions…
Digitizing evacuations
Traditional evacuation systems require a fair amount of specialist installation, management and maintenance because they tend to be hard wired and permanently positioned. They also use a ‘press and guess’ approach in that there’s little visibility on the system’s power…
Enhancing responders’ performance and safety through smart wearable technologies
Wearable devices such as smartwatches have become increasingly popular in recent years, given their effectiveness in monitoring the physiological condition of the wearer. In particular, they have been used in sports to provide targeted feedback to enhance the wearer’s performance.…
Future directions in the acquisition of aerial fire intelligence
Australia suffered some of its worst bushfires ever in the summer of 2019/2020, a period now known colloquially as the ‘Black Summer’. Although difficult to accurately quantify, it is estimated that fires burnt almost 20 million hectares of land and…
Next-Gen fire station alerting
Radical new designs in fire station alerting technology are helping to save lives and property. It’s an unfortunate fact that, every hour of every day, people find themselves in some form of danger. Luckily, however, in those instances, sophisticated new…
Database crucial for learning lessons from the past
Australia’s emergency services can now easily navigate through 130 years of data from inquiries, reviews and coronial inquests into natural hazards in one place. The Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC’s Disaster Inquiries Database captures and categorizes recommendations, ensuring lessons from…
Trusting reliable rugged solutions in times of emergency
The fire-services industry has recently evolved with the emergence of new technologies such as software tools, facial-recognition software and artificial intelligence (AI). According to a report from Australian government ‘Australia’s Tech Future’1, more emergency services, including fire, are using digital…
The new addressing system helping UK emergency services
Emergencies can happen anywhere, from a wildfire in a park to an incident outside one of the gates at a crowded stadium. Saying precisely where first responders are needed is crucial but can sometimes be near impossible for callers to…