Fire Detection Sensors: Italy's Bet to Combat Forest Fires Amidst Climate Change

Climate change has increased incidences of devastating natural disasters. One of these destructive forces is forest fires. According to the Congressional Research Service, in 2021, there were 14,000 wildfires across the US, which resulted in almost 5.2 million acres of forest burnt down.

Although the country most ravaged by forest fires in 2021 was Brazil, Italy is stepping up its efforts to prevent future destruction in the Islands of Sardinia.

Protecting Sardinia, Italy from Forest Fires

The island of Sardinia, Italy, was devastated by forest fires in 2021; authorities are planning on installing an array of ultra-early wildfire detection sensors to prevent catastrophic events from occurring again.

The fire detection sensors, which use the Internet of Things technology, operate without cellular coverage and can be installed on trees to detect gasses during the smoldering phases of a fire before it fully ravages an area.

The project aims to reduce the fire service reaction time within the critical first hour, hoping the team can contain the blaze before it uncontrollably spreads throughout the forest. Vodafone Business IoT and cloud specialist Reuben Kingsland explain that the project will make it an intelligent forest where the sensors can talk to each other across the forest and connect back to its main center, a gateway sitting at the forest's edge, reports EuroNews.

Benefits of Ultra-Fast Fire Detecting Sensors

Since the sensors will connect to a cloud-based alert center, it will result in a faster-acting solution to the wildlife detection problem than conventional cameras or satellites.

Matt Green, a tech specialist at Vodafone Business, says that when comparing the sensors to other solutions, satellite imagery can be used but will take months before getting back. On the other hand, cameras can take hours before smoking fires can be noticed.

The detections during the smoldering stage of the fire are significantly early; wherein fires can be detected within the first few minutes, compared to the hours or days it takes today.

The innovative smart forest is a result of a partnership between Extreme X, the off-road electric race series, and Vodafone Business.

Kingsland says that one of the biggest effects of climate change currently is forest fires across the globe. Ultimately, the project being deployed will aid in preventing forest fires from happening in the future.

In 2021 alone, roughly 20,000 hectares of Sardina were ripped by fires, displacing more than a thousand people and killing roughly 30 million bees.

Wildfires emitted roughly 1.76 billion tonnes of CO2 globally in the previous year, equivalent to more than double Germany's annual carbon dioxide emissions, based on the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. According to the study, although the previous year's CO2 emissions weren't the highest recorded, which took place in 2003, they believe that the emissions will continue increasing due to climate change unfolding.

The team behind the project is hopeful that although not much can be done to ease the effects of climate change, the ultra-fast fire detecting sensors can help alleviate some of the burdens of forest fires.