To the dismay of everyone, wildfires have increased dramatically in recent years across West Yorkshire. In response, the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service adopted new approaches to wildfire detection and response. To address this challenge, the service has developed sophisticated mapping tools and weather forecasting applications to improve its fire prediction capabilities. This proactive approach has the potential to lessen the destruction caused by wildfires. These blazes have become more common, scorching areas such as Marsden Moor and Ilkley Moor.
Following increasing incidences of moorland fires, the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service adopted lightweight wildfire personal protective equipment. This proactive step is intended to improve firefighter safety while working at longer duration incidents. These new measures are designed to provide teams with the essential tools that will keep them empowered. They are essential partners as we work to combat the increasing risk of dangerous wildfires. The service has been using all-terrain vehicles, which grant access to difficult terrains, where fires could jump up unexpectedly.
Dr. Kamran Mahroof, a representative from the University of Bradford, recently discussed the ongoing wildfire trial at a conference in Birmingham. He emphasized that “wildfires are a global phenomenon and have been increasing in frequency and intensity in recent years.” As you can tell, this assertion highlights the pressing need for real solutions to prevent increasingly dangerous wildfires.
The University of Bradford is participating in the EU-funded 6G-VERSUS research project, which focuses on developing advanced technologies for wildfire detection and management. As part of this initiative, Dr. Mahroof stated, “The whole idea for us is to identify wildfires as soon as possible.” The project aims to create a combined robotic dog and aerial drone system designed to enhance situational awareness for first responders during wildfire incidents.
Given their success, next year the University of Bradford team will be headed to Greece. The pilot program will be supervised by Dr. Konstantinos Katsaros and Dr. Lazaros Karagiannidis from the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS). This collaboration exemplifies the global movement to address the escalating wildfire crisis with new and cutting-edge technology.
In their holistic approach, researchers hope to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help them decode complicated, real-time camera feeds. They intend to use 6G links to quickly relay important data. This will allow teams to more quickly target those most at-risk and better mobilize and allocate resources accordingly. According to Dr. Mahroof, by using AI to analyze live camera feeds, we’re able to more accurately and efficiently spot individuals in need. Plus, transmitting data via 6G links to relay the information lets us deploy resources where they are needed most while keeping responders out of harm’s way.
As these advancements unfold, it is likely that the West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service will engage with the University of Bradford team regarding the promising technology being developed through the 6G-VERSUS project.