Vernon, B.C. Fire Chief David Lind compares the city’s new artificial intelligence (AI)-based wildfire detection system to a fire alarm in the forest.
The system involves cameras and dozens of air sensors scattered among trees and other high points, collecting data that is fed into an AI system for analysis.
Vancouver-based technology company SenseNet created the system, which alerts firefighters when it detects a pattern indicating ignition, enabling a response within minutes instead of an hour or more with traditional visual detection.
“It’s an exciting technology, in the sense that it really almost applies this fire alarm system that we see in large buildings, where every section of the building is covered by some kind of monitor feeding into a system that provides early notification to everybody,” Lind said.
“As we start to reach temperatures above 30°C and our humidity drops below 30 [pour cent]fire can spread very, very quickly. In these conditions, it is extremely important to get early detection.”
Firefighters in Vernon, about 400 kilometres northeast of Vancouver, have been testing the system for two years.
Mr. Lind said the city will take over the maintenance and monitoring of about 150 sensors as the trial period ends on May 1.er August. A neighboring hotel, Predator Ridge Resort, also paid to install 100 additional SenseNet sensors to power the AI detection system.
Air sensors and imaging
SenseNet says the sensors monitor the air for volatile organic compounds — or chemicals commonly found in the air — particulates, carbon monoxide, methane and nitrogen oxides. The system also provides thermal imaging, which can detect smoldering fires not visible to the naked eye.
A SenseNet video shows devices the size of cereal boxes attached to trees. It says the sensors detect invisible gases from an ignition before the AI algorithm finds the location. The video says it can do this within a minute of a fire starting, more than a mile away from the sensors.
Lind says early detection has been a valuable tool for firefighters during testing, with crews having to get to wildfires faster as dry conditions cause undetected fires to grow rapidly.
Last year’s wildfire season was the most destructive in British Columbia’s history, burning more than 28,000 square kilometres of land and forcing thousands of people to evacuate communities in the Okanagan and Shuswap.
Drought has persisted throughout the winter in many parts of the province, and a heat wave and thunderstorms in Western Canada have led to an increase in the number of active wildfires in British Columbia, which reached 150 in the past week.
Bringing back the tourists
At Predator Ridge, they hope the SenseNet system will help attract tourists to the Okanagan after severe fires in recent years.
“This region in general, we’re all feeling it in terms of traffic to this region this summer,” said Brad Pelletier, senior vice president of Predator Ridge.
“And a lot of it was affected in the booking process because of a fire. So the more we strengthen our plans and […] “As we continue to strengthen our commitment to the safety of our customers and residents, we can overcome some of these challenges.”
The cost of installing the system at Predator Ridge has not been disclosed, but Pelletier says the investment was “substantial” after initial tests proved positive.
“It became clear to us that this was cutting-edge technology and that it could provide us with another level of security here at Predator Ridge, probably the most important level of security,” Pelletier said.
“There’s a constant reminder every year here as the weather gets drier, so I think everyone is mindful of the risk factor. And I think everyone is looking at what steps can be taken to prevent the next big fire like the one that happened in West Kelowna,” he said, referring to a blaze that ravaged that community in mid-August of last year.
A tool among others
Mr Lind said the new system was not intended to replace existing detection systems, but to provide “another layer” of protection while work continues on fire mitigation and other initiatives.
“There’s so much we can do,” he said. “We can make a huge difference, and so this is a project, a super positive aspect, and these other components are also very important.”
Lind said he has spoken to other fire chiefs in B.C. about Vernon’s experiences with AI detection technology. More sensors elsewhere could form the basis for early detection of wildfires at the regional level, he said.
“The one thing the public really needs to keep in mind is that this is another tool,” he said. “It’s not a replacement for all the tools that are out there, so if someone sees smoke on the horizon, they should definitely call 911.”