Preventative Measures
Preventative measures for wildfires are crucial in safeguarding our forests and communities. Taking these proactive steps, we can significantly reduce the risk of wildfires and protect our natural resources.
Types of Preventative Measures:
Nature Based Technology
Nature based technologies when it comes to preventing wildfires range from building materials, natural fire breaks, and self-healing fire retardants. When it comes to nature based technologies, it's all about being inspired from the natural ways of the world, working with nature rather than against it.
Specialized Technologies
Specialized technologies for firefighting are products made specifically to carry out a certain fire management or fighting function. This subcategory of products can be anything, AI powered sensors to drone fire detection. Specialized technologies combine innovation with science and engineering to create one of a kind solutions for specific problems and prevent fires from starting.
Fire Retardants
Fire retardants are particular materials engineered to extinguish or delay the spread of fire. They function by utilizing chemical reactions that reduce the flammability of fuels or postpone their combustion. Fire retardants can be applied both from the ground and air.
Types of Preventative Measures:
Citrotech: Mighty Fire Breaker
Citrotech is designed to reduce fire risks by spraying dry brush and vegetation with the solution in high risk fire zones. It works by forming a thin potassium salt crystalline coating on surfaces to protect against fire ignition and flame spread. Its major benefit over other fire retardants is its natural ingredients and safer more clean effects on environments where it is sprayed (compared to more harsh retardants). It is currently certified non- toxic by 5 different companies, including the EPA Safer Choice Program and the State of California.
Clore: Clore Fire Retardant
Clore is a new, non toxic fire retardant designed to mitigate fire risks, especially in residential areas. It is designed to be a long term solution to personal fire safety risks, it being recommended to only re-spray every month approximately during fire season. It works by creating a fire resistant coating that releases carbon dioxide into the air when it comes in contact with flames. Currently, Clore is partnered with 7 different companies and looking to further expand.
AI Powered Sensors and Montoring: N5 Sensors
N5 Sensors is a company that wants to change how we study the environment's actions. They use smart technology to help find and manage wildfires. Their sensors, called ChemNode®, are connected to the cloud and are able to update data every 18 seconds in real time. N5 ChemNode sensors provide accurate information to help communities check for fires. N5 Sensors believes in solving challenges with “compassion, courage, and bold innovation.” N5SHIELD® is N5’s wildfire monitoring software. N5 Sensors’ technology is able to detect fires, similarly to how humans use their senses to perceive change in air quality. When the sensors see, smell, or feel something different, they react by pouring the raw data collected into an artificial intelligence program. The data can then be studied quickly to detect what the abnormality is.
SWAP Technology: Undesert
Undesert develops technology that is capable of separating water from most chemicals and minerals, in hopes to use it to plant forests in unhealthy and desertified regions. Their technology, the multi-patented Salty Wastewater Purification (SWAP) tool, is able to purify water to very pure (5 PPM). To put it in scale, the PPM for drinking water is between 50 and 150. The zero liquid discharge (ZDL), salt and mineral waste, is able to be recycled and used in the mining for precious materials. Continuing in their innovation, SWAP is affordable, modular, able to run on green energy, has low maintenance issues, and is made to run nonstop without causing both short-term and long-term damages. When it comes to how this technology can prevent wildfires, we had to look at some research regarding how tree health impacts wildfires. Take a lightning strike on a tree for example—when lightning hits a tree, it evaporates the water inside the tree, which kills it. In a perfect world where the tree is 50% carbon and 50% water, the tree does not catch fire. However, due to climate change drying out forests, the trees in most woods are almost dead and only 10% water. When lightning strikes this type of tree, the lightning has no water to evaporate in turn, causing an explosion that ignites the tree. Trees with the correct amount of hydration are also more resistant to already burning flames, similar to how starting a fire with wet wood is nearly impossible. We think that utilizing Underert’s SWAP technology in areas of fire breaks, we can return trees to their natural hydration state and prevent wildfires from spreading.
Self-Healing Fire Retardent: Advanced Materials
In a study published in Advanced Materials titled “Mussel-Inspired, Self-Healing, Highly Effective Fully Polymeric Fire-Retardant Coatings Enabled by Group Synergy,” a new innovative fire-resistant coating is highlighted as being notable for its sustainability and mussel-inspired abilities. The product is inspired by mussel byssus, which is a special part of a mussel that allows it to stick to rocks and survive rough waters. This byssus has shown us fire resistance and self healing properties in addition to its strong sticking abilities. The fire retardant mimics the molecular structure of the mussel byssus by using a "group synergy" of multiple molecules to create the coating. This group synergy of the molecules allows the product to effectively mirror the mussel byssus and prevents fires from starting. In tests with expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam, a notoriously flammable material, it showed its ability by preventing fire ignition for 445 seconds, a little more than 7 minutes. The product has also been tested for fire resistance on wooden, cotton, and metal surfaces. Along with its fire resistance, the product is also sustainable for the environment, mainly due to its components being all naturally occurring materials, making the product biodegradable.
Innovative Controlled Burns: Burn Bot
BurnBot is a company that focuses on controlled burnings to better help prevent wildfires. Inspired to act because of the 2020 Bay Area Wildfires, BurnBot works to manage land and vegetation to protect communities at risk of wildfires. One of the benefits of Burnbot is that it can be used in a variety of weather conditions. Most technology systems that conduct controlled burns are only able to function on dry grass, while Burnbot is able to function on both dry and wet grass. Burnbot’s technology is dedicated to protecting their neighbors through working to manage the land susceptible to wildfires.
Hempcrete (Fire Resistant Building Material):
Hempitecture
Hempcrete blocks are thermally insulating building materials that can be used in construction in place of less efficient materials. Hempcrete is made out of a mix of hemp—hempcrete’s base as well as a green fast growing plant—and lime mixture—a binding agent. Hempcrete offers many benefits, such as being energy-efficient, non-toxic, carbon-adsorbent, and fire resistant. Hempcrete’s fire resistance is tested for ASTM E84 standards and proves to be effective in other testing. The product’s fire resistance and other traits can be utilized by covering homes in a hempcrete paste similar to a stucco, and as well by putting hempcrete blocks in as an insulation. Currently, architects, builders, engineers, and developers are working together to incorporate hempcrete into their projects, specifically in areas prone to wildfires. Projects for hempcrete communities are already being made in the United States, an example can be seen on the Lower Sioux native people’s reservation in Minnesota.
Drone Fire Detection: Draganfly
Draganfly is a highly advanced drone company dedicated to bringing good into the world through their innovative technology. Draganfly drones have the ability to identify fire line breaches and detect hidden areas. With the help of these drones, firefighters are able to better combat wildfires. These advanced drones are crucial in protecting critical infrastructure, neighborhoods, and commercial buildings. Draganfly’s advanced drone technology was awarded Canada’s Provincial Wildfire Services Contract for their efforts in enhancing how firefighters approach extinguishing wildfires.