Fire probe partner appointed

Airwave Solutions Australia has been appointed by FireWatch Australia in the federal government-funded trial of bushfire-detection technology.

As the FireWatch implementation partner, the company has deployed the FireWatch bushfire-detection system and the underlying communications network in the designated trial areas of the Otway Ranges in Victoria and Tumut in NSW.

Each trial network consists of a number of sensors with secure communications connectivity to regional, manned control centres.

The FireWatch network is installed at four Victorian sites in the Otway Ranges and two NSW sites in the Tumut area. The control centre is in Burwood, Victoria, with subsidiary systems in Colac, Victoria and Tumut in NSW.

Founded on aerospace technology developed for NASA’s Mars Pathfinder mission, the system incorporates an optical sensor with enhanced spectral sensitivity with near-infrared sensing capabilities. This permits detection across a wide range of visible light wavelength (480 to 1200 nm) day or night­ - far superior to that of the human eye (400 to 750 nm).

The sensor’s extremely high grey-scale resolution enables it to distinguish between over 16,000 shades of grey­ - critical functionality for detecting first signs of smoke and differentiating between smoke, cloud and dust.

Each FireWatch camera rotates through 360 degrees every 4-8 minutes, detecting smoke at distances of up to 40 km. Once smoke or fire is detected, an alarm with a corresponding image is transmitted to the relevant control room via the communications network.

Here, the image is assessed and the information disseminated to the fire agencies, allowing them to start their fire suppression activities.

The detection system is being trialled as part of a $3 million government initiative. Similar detection networks have produced impressive results overseas. It has been operating in Germany for eight years and has lead to a reduction in area burned by over 90%.