Bushfire STEM student looking to the left

Fire Detection
Technology

Fire-Ed Up Scenario 1:

Welcome to the Fire Detection Technology supplementary page for the stage 5 iSTEM, Fire-Ed Up Unit of Work. This is a resource site setup to support teachers to implement the Fire-Ed Up Program.

Fire-Ed Up is funded by the NSW Office of the Chief Scientist and Engineer, developed from Central Coast Council’s Award Winning program and produced by the Hunter Innovation and Science Hub.

Unit Background –
Australian Fire Danger Rating System

In 2022 Australia introduced a new fire danger rating system providing clearer and more accurate information to communities at risk of bush fire. The Australian Fire Danger Rating System brings together the latest science and knowledge of fire behaviour, is supported by extensive community research, and is the most significant change to the fire danger rating system in more than 50 years.

The previous fire danger rating system was found to be approximately 40% accurate whilst the new reporting system is now more than 60%, but there is room for improvement.

Scenario 1

Fire Detection Technology: Develop a cost-effective, deployable technology to detect bushfires early. This may include microcomputer technologies, sensors, satellites, robotics, AI systems, or data analysis techniques for rapid detection of potential fire conditions.

Research tools available

Develop a cost-effective, deployable technology to detect bushfires early.

Investigate these and more:

Microcomputer technologies
Sensors
Satellites
Robotics
AI systems
Data analysis techniques

Questions to consider:

What is available?
What status are these technologies?
How are they deployed?
How can they be improved?

Downloadable Resources

iSTEM – Scenario 1 Student Resource Folio

Download the Fire-Ed Up Scenario 1 student resource folio.

Download Scenario 1 Resource Folio >>>

NSW RFS Firefighters Pocket Book

The NSW Rural Fire Service Firefighters Pocket Book Dec 2010 edition.

Download PDF >>>

Australian Fire Danger Rating System

Australian fire danger rating system – Fire Behaviour Index Technical Guide V2.1 Oct 2023.

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Mathematics in nature

Understanding bushfire activity handout – Indigenous knowledge from the University of Melbourne.

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Video Based Resources

The following are a mixture of Fire-ED Up original video resources and others that you might find useful.

New technologies in bushfire management

Deb Sparkes from AFAC National Projects and Innovation speaks about the upcoming technologies being used to manage, predict and prevent bushfires (21:36 minutes).

About Digital Twins with Nominal Systems

Harrison Verrios from Nominal Systems discusses why digital twin software simulations are an important component of the design process for space (8:48 minutes)

Careers in Space with with Harrison Verrios

Harrison Verrios from Nominal Systems & Ben Newsome CF from Fizzics Education discuss space careers, where Harrison shares his career trajectory from his time working on the Monash Nova Rover to developing digital twins for space (8:48 minutes)

NSW firefighters embrace new fire technology

The NSW Government is funding new firefighting technology with hopes it will help frontline workers worldwide. These include digital tags for trucks & equipment to ensure everything that is needed can be tracked quickly (1:02 minutes)

Inside a bushfire research facility

Inside CSIRO’s world-class bushfire research facility where scientists work to better understand how bushfires behave, what conditions make them worse, and the best ways to respond. (2:47 Minutes)

Drones for fighting bushfires and aiding recovery

Drones are becoming an important tool in fighting bushfires… from detecting hot-spots & mapping damage to repair powerlines (1:58 Minutes)

Bushfire app assisting residents during fire season

The bushfire.io app provides a national view of fire events, fire spots, road closures, weather, and other critical bushfire information. (3:42 Minutes)

AI app assisting firefighters to minimise bushfires

Artificial intelligence could help predict devastating bushfires. Work is being done to create apps for both the public and firefighters to yuse. (1:14 Minutes)

Thermal imagery during a bushfire

Aerial footage taken with a thermal aerial video at Mallacoota on 31 December 2019 at 11pm shows the extent of the bushfire front in the East Gippsland area. (1:13 Minutes)

How do NPWS firefighters use helicopters?

Helicopters are essential for fighting remote fires in NSW national parks, where fire crews can be dropped with all their equipment for up to 24 hours (0:40 minutes)

How do NPWS firefighters find hot spots on fires?

Hear how NPWS firefighters use technology like lightning detection systems and FLIR (forward-looking infrared camera) to fight bushfires (0:50 Minutes)

How can data help stop bushfires in their tracks?

How can mapping of bushfire-prone areas help reduce the impacts of future bushfires? Hear from Dr Chandrama Sarker’s team at @CSIRO to learn more (1:32 Minutes)

How technology is reshaping the future of wildfires

Firefighters use many tools to fight wildfires such as drones, robots, satellites and radars, dragon eggs, fire retardants, fire-fighting foams, superabsorbent polymer gels and more. (7:08 Minutes)

Could artificial intelligence reduce wildfire impact?

What if the satellites orbiting above Australia could detect very small fires before they became problematic? This is the challenge facing UniSA PhD student Liang Zhao. (2:49 Minutes)