West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) is increasing its approach to tackling wildfires. They’re employing state-of-the-art technology and equipment in their efforts to combat the increasing frequency and severity of these incidents. The service today relies on all-terrain vehicles and advanced mapping technology. It uses weather forecasting applications to forecast fire behavior and increase situational awareness.
In recent times West Yorkshire has been increasingly struck by wildfires, including those on Marsden Moor and Ilkley Moor. As WYFRS has rolled out specialized lightweight personal protective equipment for firefighters operating in longer-duration incidents. This gear makes them much safer and more effective as they operate in the field.
This innovative partnership with the University of Bradford seeks to detect wildfires at the earliest opportunity. Dr Kamran Mahroof, part of the university’s team, stressed the need to tackle this worldwide problem as an immediate priority. He stated, “Wildfires are a global phenomenon and have been increasing in frequency and intensity in recent years.”
The university’s contributions to the 6G-VERSUS research project are extremely important. This EU-funded collaborative project aims to develop innovative Earth observation technologies to help detect, monitor and manage wildfires. To that end, this project brings a model pilot program seen in Greece. It is coordinated by Dr. Konstantinos Katsaros and Dr. Lazaros Karagiannidis of the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS).
Dr. Mahroof elaborated on the project’s objectives, saying, “The whole idea for us is to identify wildfires as soon as possible.” The team has been building a really cool system that integrates their robotic dog with an aerial drone. This groundbreaking partnership will enhance wildland first responders’ situational awareness while battling wildfires.
“In the Greek pilot of SNS-JU 6G-VERSUS, we’re developing a combined robotic dog and aerial drone system that boosts situational awareness for first responders during wildfires.” – Dr. Konstantinos Katsaros
This innovative technology incorporates new artificial intelligence (AI) technology to analyze incoming camera feeds in real-time. Powered by 6G connectivity, it transmits important data in real-time to enhance passenger safety. Combined with responder safety information, this enables teams to pinpoint the highest-risk individuals and strategically deploy resources while keeping responders safe.
A representative from WYFRS spoke positively about their use of drones. These drones are outfitted with thermal and optical cameras, which provide real time aerial surveillance and intelligence. This one-of-a-kind technology helps incident commanders quickly identify hotspots and assess how fire is spreading or likely to spread.
WYFRS initially had no knowledge of this technology. As a positive note, they expressed eagerness to discuss working with the University of Bradford team in future projects. The university will be visiting Greece next year, as part of the further 6G-VERSUS research project.
Dr. Mahroof highlighted the significance of showcasing this research at a recent conference in Birmingham, where discussions centered around leveraging AI to address global challenges.
“We are immensely proud to be at the forefront of research addressing this pressing global challenge.” – Dr. Kamran Mahroof