NSW, Qld bushfires: Wearable technology on show in Australia could reduce firefighter risks
They are the last line of defence in Australia’s bushfire crisis and new wearable technology is being developed to protect firefighters from harm.
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Groundbreaking technology that could help protect firefighters’ from serious harm is being shown off in Australia this week but our fire services may be too busy to see it.
The wearable technology, created by a team of Barcelona-based firefighters and IT workers, is designed to monitor dangers at the firefront, including toxic smoke, and create real-time warnings for fire commanders.
And its creators, backed by a $US200,000 prize from IBM, say they are already working on plans to share the technology with their Australian counterparts after trials next year.
The innovation comes as researchers focus on the health of those fighting the catastrophic bushfires across Queensland and New South Wales, and after one expert found volunteer firefighters could be at higher risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder.
Josep Rafols, one of the five inventors behind Prometeo technology, said the team was keen to show off its plans for a wearable gadget for firefighters in Australia this week, even though their timing could have been better.
Mr Rafols said they planned to meet Australian fire services today but, understandably, they were now on “maximum alert”.
“Nevertheless we know people that will work with the Barcelona team … I think will we have a direct line with the Australian fire department,” he said.
“It’s going to be easy to collaborate with Australia.”
Prometeo, which looks like a smartphone, is designed to be worn on a firefighter’s arm and uses sensors to measure carbon monoxide levels, heat, and humidity.
Using artificial intelligence and cloud technology, the device creates a colour-coded status for firefighters that local commanders can use to minimise the risk to firefighters and manage teams.
“We can make firefighters more aware of their health and prevent some side effects from fighting fires,” he said.
“Until now, they were not able to know what was going on with high temperatures and smoke.”
Mr Rafols said data collected from the devices could also be used to measure the long-term effects of exposure to smoke and extreme conditions.
IBM cognitive applications senior vice-president Bob Lord, who created the Call to Code competition won by Prometeo, said engineers would meet with the team after its Australian visit next week to work on an “aggressive road map” to get the technology ready for launch.
“My ambition is that a year from now the Barcelona firefighters will be using it,” Mr Lord said.
“We’re going to employ the Barcelona firefighters to actually do the testing of the device – where it should sit, how it should work. And the same technology we would bring to a banking client, we will be bringing to the Prometeo team to help to get this into production.”
The technology comes as images of physically exhausted firefighters battling Australian blazes raised awareness about the mental toll on crews, but Dr Heather Bancroft from the University of Melbourne, said firefighters were “the least researched among emergency services”.
Her recently completed doctorate on firefighters’ mental health found 24 per cent of career firefighters and 17 per cent of volunteers met the diagnosis for a psychiatric disorder.
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Three per cent of her interview subjects who were career firefighters and two per cent who were volunteers met the criteria for PTSD.
Dr Bancroft stressed firefighters’ overall mental health was “relatively good” but their work could make them susceptible to problems.
“We know that physical exhaustion is one of the risk factors for the development of mental health problems, but nothing is as clear cut as that,” she said.
Rural Fire Service volunteers can be especially vulnerable, she warned, because they frequently work in their own communities and attend fires that affect people they know.
“What we know about mental health and the effect of critical incidents and difficult jobs is: if you know a victim or a person who has died in an accident, that’s a risk factor for developing mental health problems,” she said.
Professor David Bowman, the Director of the Fire Centre Research Hub at The University of Tasmania, warned it was important to “keep morale high” to address mental health risks during the bushfire season.
“We have to be focused on getting through the summer because there are huge psychosocial pressures that come with this stuff. We are duty bound to help people cope with this unprecedented situation,” he said.
Originally published as NSW, Qld bushfires: Wearable technology on show in Australia could reduce firefighter risks