ZigBee protects firefighters.
The system was developed at the University of Berkeley (California) at the request of fire departments after the events of September 11, 2001, when rescuers working in the Twin Towers were forced to use incompatible dual-channel radio systems that did not allow them to communicate with each other.
The Fire Information and Rescue Equipment (FIRE) system is a joint development between the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and the Center for Information Technology in the Interests of Society (CITRIS).
It allows firefighters and their coordinators to receive information about the location of rescuers in a building.
The two-channel radios used by most fire departments have a number of limitations, as they require firefighters to report their own location.
The FIRE system, which the Chicago Fire Department began testing in the spring of 2006, consists of two main elements:
– SmokeNet;
– FireEye.
SmokeNet is a wireless network based on the use of sensors and wireless sensor platforms Tmote Sky (Moteiv company), as well as the Boomerang software package, allowing wireless sensor devices to record the state of the environment and its changes, and to transmit information to firefighters.
As stated by Paul Wright, scientific director of the CITRIS center, such sensors, powered by two AA batteries, can be installed in smoke detectors, on ceilings or door frames in all rooms of commercial buildings.
These sensors use an active 2.4 GHz radio frequency identification system that can operate at a range of up to 100 feet (30.48 m).
As part of a test program, the Chicago Fire Department installed these sensors at one of its complexes.
The FIRE system is currently installed at several UC Berkeley buildings, as well as at several other locations in other cities.
The installed sensors send radio frequency signals every two seconds to the firefighters, whose oxygen tanks are equipped with wireless sensors that can both receive information from the sensors and transmit it to them.
The sensors have unique identification numbers that are read by the sensors the moment a firefighter appears nearby.
The received information about the location of the firefighters is transmitted via a wireless ZigBee network to the laptops of the fire brigade chiefs and firefighting supervisors.
The computers also have access to AutoCAD drawings of the relevant buildings provided by the city administration, and the location of firefighters is displayed as dots on these drawings.
This helps fire brigade commanders make tactical decisions (such as whether to evacuate firefighters from a building).
These sensors can also be programmed to measure temperature and smoke levels in the premises, alerting firefighters.
A sensor mounted on a firefighter's oxygen tank can communicate with dozens of sensors throughout a building at once, says Andrew Redfern, a research engineer in wireless sensor networks at UC Berkeley.
UC Berkeley student Joel Wilson has developed the FireEye system, a postage stamp-sized liquid crystal display that fits inside a firefighter's helmet.
It displays interactive floor plans that show the location of a firefighter or other members of a fire company.
“This technology is a real breakthrough in fire department safety and efficiency,” said Joe Polastre, Moteiv's chief executive officer.
The testing is being funded by the Chicago Fire Department and Ford Motor Co., a founding member of the CITRIS committee.
Early prototypes of the FireEye system were developed at the Ford Rapid Prototyping Lab, a division of the UC Berkeley mechanical engineering department.
The Chicago Fire Department plans to install the system in Chicago buildings, but there is no timeline for when that project will be completed.
The city of Chicago must find a way to support the project, which means the ability to obtain floor plans of all commercial buildings in the city and mandatory installation of FIRE system sensors in them.
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