Further north, West Yorkshire is facing an increasing threat from wildfires. In light of this, community leaders are aggressively pursuing new and better ways to detect fires and respond to them. The West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS) has recently integrated all-terrain vehicles into their emergency response operations. This gives them the power needed to respond better to incidents, particularly in wilderness locations, as seen on Marsden Moor and Ilkley Moor.
To improve their suppression efforts, WYFRS uses sophisticated mapping technology and fire weather prediction apps to forecast fire behavior. The service has deployed new lightweight personal protective equipment for firefighters. This equipment is expressly intended to help protect those who are engaging in extended operations in difficult environmental conditions to help save lives.
WYFRS’s application of these innovative state-of-the-art technologies is unprecedented. They are excited to be working with a team from the University of Bradford on the 6G-VERSUS research project. This European Union-funded collaborative project has committed to carrying out a number of use case trials for 6G technology. By leveraging robotic dogs and aerial drones to keep first responders better informed in the field during a wildfire emergency, its…
Dr. Kamran Mahroof, part of the University of Bradford team involved in the project, stated, “Wildfires are a global phenomenon and have been increasing in frequency and intensity in recent years.” He further emphasized the project’s significance by saying, “We are immensely proud to be at the forefront of research addressing this pressing global challenge.”
6G-VERSUS will also partner with the Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS). As founding members, they will lead the way in creating a new, competitive pilot program in Greece. The goal of the $5 million project is to create systems to more quickly spot emerging 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,” a team representative noted. This cutting-edge artifice aims to use artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze live camera feeds.
In citywide pilots, we harness the power of AI to interpret live camera streams. Now, with 6G links to transmit the data, we are enabling teams to quickly identify vulnerable populations and better distribute resources all while keeping responders out of harm’s way. The representative added.
With wildfires occurring with higher frequency and intensity across the world, research like this is more important than ever. The findings and technologies presented at a recent event in Birmingham demonstrated how AI can address significant challenges faced worldwide.