Wearable Interfaces and Advanced Sensors to Enhance Firefighters Safety in Forest Fires

Abstract

The forest fires represent a social emergency that requires significant economic and organizational commitment. Safety and the lack of reliable and timely localization of firefighters is a big problem. In this paper, we present Karya Advanced Sensor, an automatic, accurate, and reliable IT solution able to locate firefighters in harsh environments and support decision making activities at control rooms. The system consists of sensors perfectly integrated into firefighters' uniforms, which are used to monitor in real-time individual operators' activities as well as the entire fire area. In particular, in case a firefighter gets injured, the system will activate the rescue teams quickly, as there will be a constant link between the firefighters and the medical assistance. The firefighter can also specify the reason for the accident, which is critical information for a more timely and appropriate health intervention. Moreover, the system is able to perform an automatic real-time mapping of forest fires and possibly estimate its propagation rate, providing precious support to control rooms, which are the center of the team coordination.