Globally, it’s clear that devastating wildfires are now becoming commonplace. Of the top 20 largest wildfires in Californian history, six of them occurred in 2020 alone. In Australia, the story was the same – 2020 saw wildfires destroy millions of acres of land and raze billions of dollars of property.
As the Earth’s temperature climbs and the effects of climate change become more apparent, there is increasing evidence that wildfires will become a greater threat, even in the UK, in the coming years. Firefighters around the globe, including here in the UK, must formulate new ways of fighting this growing threat.
Use of modern technology
Drones in conjunction with cellular technology, can help detect wildfires and in the fight to assert control
Unfortunately, one of the most common occurrences of a natural disaster like a wildfire is that it destroys infrastructure. This wipes out the ability for responders to communicate and coordinate, hindering vital response and proving life-threatening for responders.
Fortunately, technology is playing a key role in keeping our responders safe. But it can also take an additional role of helping take on some of the burden. By deploying technology such as drones, when used in conjunction with cellular technology, can not only help detect wildfires but also be used in the fight for responders to assert control.
Identification and isolation in the modern era
In the past 30 years, wildfires have raged more intensely than ever before, with most summer wildfire seasons lasting on average 40 to 80 days longer than in 1990. While methods of handling wildfires in the past, such as using towers, planes, helicopters, and even relying on eyewitnesses to help draft up reports and plans, have been effective, new methods are needed to fight this unprecedented wave of destruction.
With the increase of urban settlements, the time at which firefighters respond and manage the first fires is critical. With wildfires occurring at a higher rate, firefighters and first responders need access to modern technology and tools with the right infrastructure to support the detection, response time, and management of these emergencies. This is where drones are hugely valuable.
Drones
Drones are cheaper and more sustainable than helicopters and other aircraft, allowing them to run for long periods
They can be deployed from almost anywhere, enabling emergency services to get instant views and information of their surrounding area, no matter how remote it is. Likewise, they are cheaper and more sustainable than helicopters and other aircraft, allowing them to run for long periods. The increase in mobility enabled by drones is also an essential aspect to consider.
Long-range drones can be deployed to survey and collect data, for up to 10 hours – 3 times longer than a helicopter on a full tank. On top of all of this, because they are remote-controlled, they can get closer to dangerous situations, giving greater information to responders without putting lives at risk. All of which makes them a valuable tool in the firefighters' arsenal making emergency management and environmental monitoring a lot smarter.
Limitations of legacy technology
Employing drones would bolster efforts by firefighters, transforming how they can respond to fires and other emergencies, but it is critical that these drones can be operated and receive data in real-time. Using drones as means of monitoring wildfires can help predict their trajectory, characteristics, and behavior.
However, natural disasters often impact traditional networks, hindering this type of communication. Meanwhile, legacy technology such as radio limits the range of the drone, in turn limiting its effectiveness for the responders.
The role of consistent connectivity
This is where 5G and LTE cellular networks can come into their own. Installing ruggedized routers into the drones enables them to continue to communicate across dedicated public networks, for example, the ESN, which is being rolled out in the UK.
Previous line-of-sight trials using drones to assist emergency services have operated within the limitations of non-cellular communications technology and without the ability to use video. These can limit crucial drone trips to approximately 4.5 miles.
The data feed to drones provides responders with far greater security and reliability, facilitating response organization
BVLOS licenses
Using the 5G and LTE cellular network to track and monitor drones delivers what airborne regulatory agencies call beyond the virtual line of sight (BVLOS), which extends the regulators to allow drones to fly to about 80 miles. BVLOS licenses are being tested and implemented across the globe.
To even further shore up redundancy, ruggedized modems also come with dual sim cards enabling it to have two separate redundant networks to communicate over if the primary infrastructure fails. The data feed to drones provides responders with far greater security and reliability, facilitating response organization.
Battling the blaze with technology
Thinking about the future should come first when considering the practical benefits of firefighting technology. There is no point in investing in equipment that won’t comply with future legislation or work on new infrastructure.
For example, networks like the ESN will require high levels of security protocols which edge routers will need to comply with. Similarly, as the UK develops its 5G infrastructure, and sunsets its 3G network, the future map of connectivity is still unclear. This makes it essential that any device can connect and switch between multiple networks to help reduce the chance of entering a dead zone.
Changing the future of wildfire management
Drones can take advantage of the latest advances, making firefighters jobs easier and allowing them to focus Fundamentally, firefighters must be provided with a platform where technology, such as drones, can take advantage of the latest advances, making their jobs easier and allowing them to focus on essential information and images for tackling wildfires. Utilizing the bandwidth and reliability of 5G and LTE cellular networks ensures that drones operate as expected using avoidance sensor information and location tracking while delivering the tactical data.
The same cellular network can also be responsible for transmitting including high-quality video, images, and communications that can be at high speed, which is essential to making quick decisions needed to fight back against wildfires.
By utilizing the latest drone technology, combined with the flexible, secure, and powerful cellular routers that make the most of 4G and 5G networks, the future of wildfire management is set to change. It will enable firefighters to share information between themselves and other emergency responders seamlessly, ensuring a smooth response to any emergency.