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In 1994
Digital Imaging Systems – a South African Technology Company –
identified the need to replace traditional manned lookout towers
with a reliable electronic fire detection system. In October of the
same year the concept of computerised Rapid Fire Detection was born.
Alasia Marketing cc. took over ownership of the
Firehawk system in September 2002 and now owns all IP and patent rights to the
system.
Technology plays a vital role in all spheres of forestry today,
ranging from silviculture to harvesting. Basic things like the
chainsaw, advanced computerized mechanized harvesting machines, the
GIS and computerized data base containing large memory banks. Forest
fires, are one of natures most destructive forces, yet nothing has
ever been done to improve detection methods which have remained the
same for hundreds of years.
Forestry companies have sophisticated methods to combat fires,
including well-trained ground crews, sophisticated foam and
retardant, all backed by aerial support from air tankers, spotter
planes and helicopters. In certain countries smokejumpers are still
used with success. With all these systems in place thousands of
valuable hectares of forestry are still lost to fire each year. |
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The major
contributing factor for this is the late detection of fires. Ground
crews and aerial support teams are only able to do something about a
fire effectively if they reach them at the very early stage. They
have no or very little effect once the fire has reached a certain
size.
Manned lookout towers are as old as forestry itself. The human
element associated with these lookout towers is the problem. More
often than not, lookout towers are late in reporting fires. Guards
have to work long hours under difficult circumstances with only
short breaks in concentration. It is also very difficult for these
staff members to pin point the actual location of any fire and to
provide the best access details to the forester. Yet this antiquated
method is still used in many parts of the world. Millions of dollars
are spent annually in the combat of fires but nothing is done about
their early detection.
Alasia Marketing has the solution; Firehawk !! whereby rotating digital cameras
covering large forestry areas transmit information to a base station
where the Firehawk software differentiates between fire, smoke, glow and automatically raises an alarm. |
