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The FireALERT-DC
System
COMMON
WILDFIRE DETECTION PROBLEMS
At the present time, wildfire detection relies on chance
visual sightings by individuals in the area or aircraft flying over
the area of a wildfire event. Tracking lightning events is a predictive
method sometimes employed to determine the possible event of a wildfire
but requires the deployment of aircraft into the area to confirm
or deny the occurrence of a wildfire event.
As a result, wildfires in forests and grasslands often burn unreported
for hours and sometimes even days. This delay allows the wildfire
to burn out of control, developing into a firestorm that threatens
life, property and natural resources. Such large scale wildfires
cost hundreds of millions of dollars to fight and extinguish and
can destroy massive expanses of forest land. Sometimes, the cost
can escalate into the billions of dollars, as was the case with
the Yellowstone National Park fire of 1988 which burned 2.5 million
acres of pristine national parkland.
THE FireALERT-DC
SOLUTION
The
FireALERT-DC is a standalone remote Wildfire Detection
and Communication system that utilizes Ambient’s patented
advanced energy management technology to power the system in remote
areas where AC power is unavailable.
The FireALERT-DC is powered by an amorphous photovoltaic
module using Ambient’s "Mid Door" technology. Extremely
low light levels to full one-sun light levels are efficiently converted
to electrical power and stored in a non-battery based “Supercapacitor”
medium. This affords the system an operational life-cycle in excess
of 20 years that is virtually maintenance free. This energy storage
medium is extremely robust and will provide reliable system energy
over extremes of temperature, pressure and shock.
The FireALERT-DC will detect and validate a 4' by 4' wildfire
signature at a distance of ¼ mile, hence protecting an area
of 160 acres. Larger wildfire signatures can be detected over considerably
greater distances. This process of detection of a wildfire signature
starts with the utilization of Ambient’s patented advanced
infra-red scanning sensor technology. As employed in the FireALERT-DC,
this scanning infra-red sensor provides the system with a circular
horizontal 360° field of view. The FireALERT-DC System
can be customized to the specific site requirements by using a variety
of field-installable imaging heads with varying vertical fields
of view.
Incorporating Ambient’s proprietary Spectral Resonance Imaging
(SRI) pattern recognition software algorithms, the FireALERT-DC
System’s embedded smart processing is then able to analyze
the sensor data, differentiating the wildfire signature from other
thermal phenomena.
This entire wildfire signature detection and validation process
is achieved in less than 2 minutes. The integrity of the data analysis
assures that the occurrence of false alarms is reduced to an absolute
minimum.
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DETECTION OF APPROACHING WILDFIRE EVENT |
The
FireALERT-DC System incorporates Global Positioning System
(GPS) capability that, during a fire event, provides the location
of both the system and the bearing of the fire to the responsible
Fire District’s Central Receiving and Dispatch Center via
an on-board Terrestrial Spread Spectrum Radio or a Low Earth Orbit
(LEO) Satellite Modem.
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COMMUNICATION
OF WILDFIRE EVENT TO SATELLITE
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COMMUNICATION
FROM SATELLITE TO CENTRAL RECEIVING AND DISPATCH |
This
GPS positioning capability also enables each FireALERT-DC
System to function as an emergency call box for a lost hiker or
a medical emergency in a remote area, as well as for a firefighter
calling for support. Activation of this call box feature will immediately
issue an emergency alert to the responsible Fire District’s
Central Receiving and Dispatch Center as well as to a hand-held
unit in the field, identifying the location of the person needing
assistance.
The FireALERT-DC System’s rapid communication of
the wildfire alarm to the responsible Fire District’s Central
Receiving and Dispatch Center can dramatically enhance the effectiveness
of the firefighting community, making an early response practical.
This can prevent the fire from developing into a full scale wildfire
that can burn out of control, sometimes for many days and even weeks.
Providing this response to a fire in its early stages can minimize
the loss of life, property and natural resources while dramatically
reducing the cost of extinguishing the fire.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION 
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