Wildfires

8 things I learnt during the process — We were challenged with a wicked problem: something that has no single solution, because the causes of it are complex and with multiple interdependencies. The big questions was: How can we contribute to prevent forest fires using technology? Design Sprint was the methodology used to solve this challenge. Created by…

1. Introduction When forest fires occur, they cause not only human life and property damage, but also serious damage that destroys nature and ecosystems. Therefore, forest fire detection is a very important issue for the fire department and those working in related fields. If there is no automatic detection machine, a person…

Imagine a mountainous landscape with small scenic villages dotted among the slopes. The sun burns incessantly, the grass is dry, animals are lying in the shade of the trees. You walk along the bottom of a valley, following the stream, counter to its current, towards the source. You see fruit trees, vegetables, donkeys, and goats along the way. —

Modern Forest Fires Last year the Tamarack Fire scorched nearly 69,000 acres (Chabria & Seidman, 2021) and destroyed 25 families’ homes (McClintock, 2021). The forest fire ignited when lightning struck a tree in the Mokelumne Wildnerness of California (Chabria & Seidman, 2021). Forest officials made the decision to monitor the…

I follow the smoke across the mountain, towards the Great Central Valley, scaling down the side of the Sierra, along Highway 49, through Bullion Knob and Indian Mountain, Bear Valley and Ponderosa Basin. …

At first, I think the eruption is a gunshot. An explosion. A semi-truck collision. But it’s the middle of the night? What could possibly be this loud? Then I recognize the unmistakable cry of the wind, like an unleashed floodgate, an invisible chariot of horses, galloping across the moonlit forest…

Adults from Oregon’s prisons have been fighting wildfires in the state since 1951. Their work is often overlooked, but it is an essential part of Oregon’s fire response. — Adam Gregg, 35, remembers the sky changing from clear blue to pitch black as his crew of firefighters drove through Salem on their way to Otis, where they worked to stop the 2020 Echo Mountain fire from destroying the town. Although it was his second fire season, Gregg was used…