Scientists in Australia will collect data from the truck in first-ever study to better understand wildland fire behavior
By Hayley Elg, The Courier
An innovative project will take place in the region this summer, as scientists work to better understand fire behaviour and the most efficient way firefighters can respond in an emergency.
The Country Fire Authority’s District 15 has been selected as the location for the Smart Tanker project, which will involve data being collected from Creswick Fire Brigade’s tanker during the next few months.
The tanker has been fitted with numerous devices including a number of cameras, flow rate metres and GPS devices, with data to be recorded each time the brigade turns out to respond to a scrub, grass or bushfire.
Creswick was selected due to the fire risk in the area and how active the brigade is in responding to incidents, meaning a significant amount of data is expected to be recorded.
The data will be encrypted and then released to the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) for analysis.
At this test, Acting Assistant Chief Fire Officer for District 15, Chris Bigham, said the district was pleased to be able to assist with the research.
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“It really validates the existence of our volunteer firefighters and the work that they do in the communities,” he said. “Anything we can do to get better and be safer in the future is a good thing.”
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