Are there any new technologies that can help us detect wildfires earlier? The tools we have now have limitations. Satellite imagery can’t give us alerts fast enough, CCTVs need to be set up just right and can’t work in bad weather, and sensors aren’t everywhere. I’m wondering if there’s anything new that can help us detect wildfires earlier. Let’s talk about it and share ideas. After all, keeping our communities safe from wildfires is a top priority!
From what I have read detection technologies seem be focused around sensors that pick up smoke and I feel they have missed the whole detection thing, thermal imaging has proven viable but needs an extensive camera network, drones are great for recon work but agencies need to actually make the investment in drones that actually cover a very large area if they are going to use them in a detection role.
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I understand your point. The problem lies in the agencies’ reluctance to fully embrace a combination of detection technologies. However, don’t you think that we should focus more on early detection? Shouldn’t our goal be to prevent fires from escalating and causing significant damage? By investing in these technologies and prioritizing early detection, we can significantly enhance safety and minimize the impact of wildfires. I’m also on the lookout for such tools and maybe have something to contribute. If anyone’s got suggestions or wants to dive into this discussion, hit me up…
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I’m familiar with some projects that use social media posts for early fire detection. They leverage deep learning to analyze fire-related posts and extract crucial information like location and time. In my opinion, such projects show promising results in real-world situations.
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@sofich14 the military has a persistent stare of the united states with a sensor capable of detecting new starts. They call it Firefly and wont tell you the resolution because its classified but the “Fireguard” program has been in play for about 4 years now. It is a partnership with the Air Force / National Guard and the USFS. The data is made available to states as well.
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Yes, but while sensors can measure real-time factors such as temperature, humidity, air pressure etc, their effectiveness is constrained due to their random deployment, resulting in limited coverage.
i don’t think I heard about it before. Mind sharing some details about the projects?
This Is a mutispectral sensor that looks at the united states for the DoD. Its always on. There are no gaps @sofich14.
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I’ve often felt a lot of the current focus on early detection is misguided. Many of our most destructive fires happen on days when weather conditions make initial attack ineffective, for example the Camp, Tubbs, Valley, or Boles Fires. Other major fires like the Carr Fire start on highways and are reported immediately, but terrain, fuels, and weather make them impossible to put out. The new webcam networks are amazing, and have a lot of ancillary benefits beyond early detection, but megafires like the Dixie, Caldor, Creek, and Mendocino August Complex are still eating our lunch.
Other times, mass ignitions from dry lightning start hundreds or thousands of fires, and even if we know exactly where they all are, we don’t have the resources to put them all out.
As far as minimizing the impacts of wildfires, in most places, we don’t put fires out, we put them off. Initial attack effectiveness is a poor measure of long-term community wildfire resilence. To paraphrase my buddy Will Harling: ‘managing for ignitions is impossible - we should be managing fuels and hardening communities, because fire is coming, no matter how many of them we put out’.
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Mother nature is in charge in these parts…
100% agree with Zeke I dont think we have an early detection problem either.
The tech we have now gives a better understanding of what is happening, can help forecast fire spread a little, most importantly to get the humans out of the way.
Despite many advances we have we still have large fires. I dont see meaningful change without a major change in fuels management.
This is coming from someone who loves technology and believes in its abilityto help but I see it more of a safety, command and control, evacuation tool. I dont see it really impeding large fires for all the reasons Zeke mentioned above. I do think we will see autonomous aerial fire suppression sooner than we all think. The question is, will it make a difference. I think we have to try but at the same time think left of bang and where is our biggest impact on prevention of large catastrophic fires.
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I am also on that train of thought as well, as the autonomous aircraft get bigger and more plentiful and can scoop water in place of retardant, just think of the capability of multiple aircraft attack sorties laying consistent lines of water 24 hrs. The new pilots will be in an air conditioned room working in shifts. The not to distant future is very exciting in this arena.
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Even still keeping pace with our record holding fires is going to be a stretch. Its like stopping a lava flow or hurricane.
Sure the argument is if we stop it within the first 5 minutes we wont have keep up. The first 5 miutes can vary drastically from fire to fire and are we going to give up on letting back country fires burn? Because your just pushing that problem down the road.
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The technology is fascinating, but the Dixie Fire serves as an example of how automated systems may not always detect wildfires, but the keen observation of an individual played a crucial role in reporting it promptly to the authorities. It is worth noting that in situations like this, social media becomes a powerful platform where people share their real-time observations and experiences. These firsthand witnesses contribute valuable insights during disasters, and their posts on social media can serve as a vital source of information. This highlights the importance of leveraging technology that captures and amplifies what people see, hear, and feel, as it can enhance our ability to detect and respond to wildfires more effectively.
This article Geotagging California wildfires gave me some valuable insights on how this approach could be beneficial in preventing wildfires in the cases of SCU and LNU.
Unfortunately, it is technology which may have had a profound impact on preventing the ability to keep the Dixie Fire small. During critical early minutes of the Dixie, air assets had to be pulled due to reported drones in the area. Whether or not that made a difference, we will never know.
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