Wildland
Fire Detection Workshop – Discussion Notes
JUNE 6 – 8, 2006
Complied By Kelsy
Gibos
Policy, Program and Operations
Additional Uses of Camera-Based
Detection
What constitutes a successful detection program?
·
How does one define a detection failure versus a
detection success?
o
Example of success guidelines: 0.2 ha in size,
discovery time between ignition and detection is less than 40 minutes
o
Three factors seem to reappear: time, size and cost
although each value will be linked to individual conditions
o
How does one turn a detection failure into a
detection success?
§
Alberta suggests educating Duty Officers on daily
progression, and improving tools for Duty Officers making decisions
·
What is a reasonable detection rate for your region?
·
Should an agency be more dependent on ground
detection (towers) or air patrol?
o
How should one decide?
§
BC is dependent mainly on air patrol while
Saskatchewan has recently rebuilt its tower system
§
BC depends on air patrol based on an analysis
centered around cost
·
Very expensive to maintain lookout towers in BC,
especially in remote areas
§
Saskatchewan has returned to towers due to increased
public support, and investment factors (air patrol is to “renting an apartment”
as tower construction is to “buying a home”)
·
Towers are inexpensive, great conditions for
observation (less fog, low cloud)
How does one convey detection statistics to others
(auditors, politicians, etc)?
·
What would be a valuable performance measure that
all parties can understand?
o
Translating fire severity/ load is difficult to
quantify and outside parties want a quick number rather than trying to
understand the fire business
o
Tendency to nest everything towards initial attack
success
§
But how does detection contribute to this number?
§
What is a reasonable performance measure for initial
attack?
o
Create a variable specifically aimed towards outside
parties, even though it is admitted that the number will be variable
§
Do not set performance variables that the team
cannot meet
§
Avoid “hand waving” as it takes away from confidence
in performance rates
Is public/ random detection always going to have the
greatest detection success regardless of how much money an agency spends?
·
Would changing the amount of money for detection
show a change in the amount of money spent on suppression?
o
Has there been such an analysis? Would there be a significant difference?
·
The detection systems presently seem to be meeting
guidelines (i.e. 96% initial attack success) so is there a need to change the amount
of money being invested?
Should an agency choose 911 or a 310 number to deal with public detection reports?
·
310 numbers are inexpensive and successful
·
911 dispatch centers have difficulty dealing with
hundreds of phone calls during a multi fire situation
·
US uses 911 cell phone calls to retrieve GPS
locations
o
Not so great for Canada where there are large areas
without cell phone coverage
Could the small, light-weight vehicles discussed by
Doron Tamir and the units created by Jim Thomson still maneuver successfully in
fire situations?
·
Are they used for detecting fire or for fighting it
too?
·
Are airships and UAVs restricted to weather
conditions?
o
Wind, temperature, lightning protection (most
significant threat, many technologies applied to deal with grounding)
·
Does the Ministry of Transport allow UAVs in air
traffic space?
o
Is it too crowded in the air space above a wildfire?
·
Do you need to build these large airships where you
want to deploy it? Are they easily transported?
o
There are many different kinds of aircraft,
including a helicopter like ship that could fly to the location, rather than
having to be deflated, transported and then reinflated
o
Some of the ships are very big (i.e. Zeppelin NT)
and can cost a lot to relocate
How accurate should detection be? Range and Bearing can find fires that are
very small that may self extinguish meaning that the investment is a waste of
money. How will this fit into their
iDET program?
·
Try to characterize the fire fuel (conditions:
hazard levels, fuel types, etc) and then estimate whether or not the fire will
self extinguish
·
Difficulties differentiating between the heat from
an ungulate and the heat from a small hot spot
·
Can they create filters to drop all hits under a
certain temperature?
o
Yes, there are filters presently available
What are the advantages and disadvantages of having
an automated smoke detection program?
·
Advantages:
o
Tower staff must remain diligent at all times over
long time frames
§
A camera allows them to rest by pointing out things
that they should be looking at
o
Combines technology and human knowledge, making the
best of both
o
Production of images that can be shared throughout
agency hierarchy
o
Georeferencing abilities
o
Allows importing of regional data such as recent
lightning strikes, fire permits, etc.
·
Disadvantages:
o
Theft of cameras and power supply
o
Cost
o
Technology set up (i.e. finding tower space, linking
towers to control centers via satellite or internet, purchasing compatible
hardware, etc.)
o
False alarm images
o
Can cameras handle huge amounts of fire starts on
the same day?
What is the best way to engage possible clients in
the data industry?
·
Think about what your client really needs, rather
than trying to sell them all the “bells and whistles”
·
So many options, be sure to sell them only what they
need
·
Data presentation in its simplest form
Does one really need to purchase a Gimble camera to
run these systems (i.e. FireBall)?
·
Gimble units are very expensive
·
Newest systems may incorporate a digital video camera
with thermal capabilities, which is a much cheaper option
·
Would one have to fly directly over the fire
perimeter (dangerous)?
o
The cameras can be angled to correct for that
o
Few problems experienced flying over the perimeter;
experience shows that a fire column does not really form there
o
Perimeter mapping is sometimes bumped out for
tankers and water drops (not enough air space)
What barriers do FERIC face for data communications
surrounding the automatic smoke detection system?
·
Connectivity to a SuperNet location
·
Need to overcome the politics involved with a
government connection and firewalls
·
AXIA is only available to certain members and FERIC
is currently not considered as a potential member
o
FERIC is not eligible as a member, but ASRD is
·
What kind of timeline is involved with trying to get
SuperNet cable here in Hinton?
o
Very political issue where length of cable just can
not be leased
§
There is so much excess cable – why not just use it?
§
The infrastructure is owned by the government and
there is nothing AXIA can do at the moment
·
If there are two cameras on a tower, will there be a
bill for two transmissions? Is the
advantage of two cameras worth the extra cost?
o
Yes both cameras can alarm on the same smoke and
there will be associated transmission and operator time costs (especially
satellite data transmission costs)
o
But two cameras can be zooming into different areas
(near and far fields)
§
One camera could be scanning lightning prone areas
while the other remains scanning presets
Is there an advantage to automated data forms over
the traditional paper copy that is transferred over the radio and entered into
a database?
·
With electric data transfer there is no radio
transfer, so those that are indirectly involved will miss out on information
that was not directed at them, but that they might find useful
·
Is electronic data transfer taking a voice away from
a crewmember?
o
Or helping to get rid of extra information so they
can manage easier?
o
Person to person communication can lead to errors
down the line
Are managers and the public accessing the
information companies are working so hard to deliver?
·
Information can be sent directly to a website
without review (posted with a disclaimer)
·
Public officers can scan through information later
and decide what material is appropriate for posting
·
Should everyone be able to access the information?
o
Example: Animal Control Officers may head into an
unsafe area to rescue animals after accessing the fire perimeter information
o
Are the agencies giving too much information to people
who may not know how to use it properly?
How reliable is the wireless connection? Is there a security issue with a wireless
connection?
·
The wireless connections will require encryption and
reliance on a land line
o
Encryption is easy and standard protocol
·
Companies are currently still testing reliability
(but the amount of data transferred is small)
·
Work on a dynamic system with multiple channels so
there is less chance of a dropped connection
·
For security reasons, perhaps only send out the
information required
o
Example: do not send GPS coordinates when working in
a military base area
Lots of parallel technologies are being
developed. Is there a way to share
information and work together?
·
Who has the time to meet?
·
Solution could be to create a share point website
for everyone to access and discuss advances
Are those members presented with all this technology
facing information overload?
·
Are they wasting too much time sorting through
everything presented to them rather than acting on instinct and experience?
·
What about literacy issues with some
firefighters? Is all the information
useful to those who companies feel need it most?
·
Are the guys on the ground going to use this
information?
o
Need to make a commitment to training time to teach
users to use information properly
§
Everyone using the information should be involved,
not just those interested and familiar with the technology
o
The biggest challenge here is how to make the
technology work for the users
o
The aim is to use these technologies as a tool to
help free up time to make decisions, rather than take away from it
§
Remove the noise and get good information out
o
Some feel that computers have instead increased the
work load and a simple pen and paper process is so much more complex
o
However, this hard copy information does not go
anywhere
§
If it is oral, there is no record for future access
§
If it is in email or electronic format it is easy to
transfer
·
Where does an individual’s company interface fit
along the transgression from those who are technologically advanced to those
who depend on gut instinct?
o Need to focus on the needs of the people rather than selling them what they do not need
Are oil and gas companies self-policing when it
comes to flaring?
·
Companies are audited to see if they are flaring
·
All companies are required to document flare
activities
·
All notifications are stored in a database
o
This information is not available for sharing
o
There can be four hours from time of flare before it
is entered into the database
§
Based on idea that so many flares were being called
in that responders were having issues coping
§
Four hours gives them time to enter the data at
their own pace
o
Is there an accurate location database of flare
stacks?
§
Not really, although a shapefile does exist
§
Many flare stacks are mobile
What do flares signatures of different volumes look
like?
·
So many parameters will change the picture
o
Flare stack size, height, pressure, etc
How many times are fire crews dispatched mistakenly
to flares?
·
Very frequently, especially in high hazard (same
crew sent to the same flare stack 11 times)
·
In high hazard, with no notification of flaring
activities, one needs to send and air tanker at approximately $1200 per
cancelled dispatch
·
Crew is tied up unnecessarily, embarrassing for
district
·
No requirement for a fire permit for a flare stack
o
Should there be a chance in legislation requiring
all companies to have a permit?
·
Cannot legally bill oil and gas companies for the
dispatched crew
·
Some companies do actually call fire dispatch
offices and let them know that they will be flaring
·
Is a camera system applicable here?
o
Use camera to monitor characteristics and have and
alarm sound when something changes
o
Potential for a mobile tower and move to areas
accessible by SuperNet or to temporary areas
How often does CN follow their trains with a fire
protection unit? Are they finding it
makes a difference or is it just to better public relations?
·
Trucks follow 15 minutes behind a train and has
caught a fire
o
Lots of small fires are caught but not reported
·
What about a camera system to replace the truck?
·
Does the truck follow all trains and tracks?
o
Trucks operate in areas with fuels prone to fire and
areas of high hazard
o No trucks on mainline as there is too many trains (one every half hour)
What are some misconceptions surrounding the use of
infrared (IR) scanners for detecting hotspots?
·
Does weather affect IR scanning? How long after a rain event should you scan?
o
Should wait two days after rain, as rain will drive
the heat deeper into the ground
·
When is the best time to scan?
o
The best time to scan is in the early morning or
late evening
Is there a way to decrease the huge lag time between
when the IR flight lands and when the data is transmitted to the incident
commander (IC)?
·
How does the map physically get there?
·
Is it a hard copy or in digital format?
o
Drop tube, thumb drive, real time downlink
o
Trying to get rid of paper map because there is only
one copy (that many people need to see) and no archive
o
But do not want to overload helicopter: the people
inside already have enough to deal with
§
Anything else introduced needs to be very user
friendly
·
Who receives the data?
o
If it is differential GPS for greater accuracy, it
will need to be passed to a data planner for processing
·
Are agencies willing to sacrifice accuracy for rapid
information transfer?
Why would the IR scanning team create a GPS
“breadcrumb trail”?
·
Due diligence (archive information for legal cases)
·
Proof of distance and area covered by IR helicopter
·
The lines from the trail may congest map
·
What is the time between recording points?
o
A helicopter can travel a large distance in 2
minutes and connecting the dots on a GIS layout would not represent the actual
path traveled
Who should be creating a GIS map: the agency or the
IR vendor?
·
Will GIS information be available for the private
companies? Will they have to pay?
o
NTS is reasonably inexpensive
o
Could there be a prebuilt base created by the agency
to give free to the industry when they need it?
·
Has to be an agreement that the information will
only be used for that specific client
o
Some companies are already operating off of an ESRI
platform
·
Should there be a separate map for GPS coordinates
and for hotspots detected by the infrared scanner?
·
Is this situational and could different conditions
arise requiring different information?
·
Agencies should decide what part of the niche they
would like to occupy
o
Choose a business approach that either invests more
money into IR or more money into GIS
o
Private companies should make their offerings clear:
what can they accomplish? Can they make
an accurate GIS map?
o
Detail the experience of their operators and whether
or not they use handheld or mounted units
·
Could all parties involved use an easy, inexpensive
platform such as Google Earth?
o
Not as accurate as some GIS data available
o
Have to be careful with resolution: could have very
accurate hotspot locations in fine resolution, but it is lost when plugged into
a program like Google Earth with around 15 m accuracy
·
Both industry and agencies need to define mission
parameters clearly: what does the client want and how can the vendor provide
it?
o
Agencies should create a mission plan for IR
machines clarifying exactly what they want: accuracy, location, map
requirements, etc
·
More paperwork for fire agencies, but is worth it to
the IR providers
·
Be sure to follow an appropriate time schedule
·
Cannot hand off a request too late in the evening
o
Create a mission plan post-flight that show where
the IR helicopter has been, the hours flown, names of operators, etc.
o
Perhaps these two mission plans could be combined
and double sided
What is required on the GIS and hotspot maps? Should this be standardized?
·
The map for crewmembers needs to include basic
features, topography, access points, etc.
·
All symbols and iconology should be constant and
standardized
·
Any notes on close landmarks to help crew
o
Although these notes from the IR may be lost when
the data is handed to a GIS mapper
·
Operational ground crew may just need a vague
description
o
Science can go much farther but do they really need
it?
Is IR certification a good idea?
·
Presently IR training provided by commercial
organizations is not suited for wildfire needs
o
The courses are land based and have no relevance to
conditions during a wildland fire event
o
Difficult for contractors to keep level of training
high, as there is frequent job turn-over (all industries are having this
problem in Alberta)
·
What are the training requirements?
o
Should a standard be developed that all IR personnel
must train to?
§
Define a training syllabus for all private IR
operators
§
FERIC could compare all the present training
criteria and make a list of all the common areas covered?
·
Who does the certification: industry or agency?
o
Agencies just want to know whether or not a
contractor’s personnel is capable of meeting their needs
·
Should the grid that FERIC has created be used as a
standard that must be met for finding hotspots?
o
Is the steel plate used by FERIC a reasonable
target? Or should it be smaller and hotter?
§
Steel plate is easy to control and keep constant
whereas a briquette’s temperature varies between 500 and 700 degrees
§
Agreed that it is a reasonable target to start with
§
Ability to detect the points is also dependent on
the point location: tree cover, tree type, etc will change the IR result
·
A small stone heating up in the sun can look
brighter than a target set underneath the canopy of a tree
o
What percentage of the points should the operator be
able to pick up in order to “pass”?
o
Should it be a pass or fail scenario, or more of a
measure of performance?
§
Did the operator deliver a product in the format and
timeline requested?
§
Can they detect the target? How accurate is their location?
o
Should operators be evaluated over time (quality
control) as their performance can vary day to day?
o
Do every operator and every helicopter have to fly
the grid?
§
Perhaps there can be a database of training records
where agencies can look to decide whether or not they want to hire that
specific agency rather than trying to get everyone to fly the grid
§
The grid can be a place to start: a bare minimum for
industry to follow
o
Industry should be required to pass the grid in
order to be slotted into a matrix of IR providers
§
Grid should define product and timelines available
§
Agencies can look at matrix and choose what they
want
How accurate does the GPS location of an IR detected
hot spot need to be?