Reducing fire risk in forests
Most CFA volunteers would be aware of forestry industry brigades that help protect plantations, but did you know that a group of plantation owners in south-west Victoria and south-east South Australia work together and with CFA to reduce fire risk?
Called the Green Triangle, this cross-border region is known for its forestry industries. The Green Triangle Fire Alliance (GTFA) comprises nine plantation owners and managers who all have a forestry industry brigade that works alongside CFA and Forest Fire Management Victoria.
“Our aim is to improve fire management outcomes for GTFA members and the wider community,” Manager of GTFA Anthony Walsh said.
Anthony is our point of contact when CFA needs to coordinate an activity such as an exercise and wants a representative from the GTFA to attend, or if there is a training issue with forestry industry brigades.
The GTFA installed fire detection cameras at 15 sites across the area (eight in South Australia and seven in Victoria) to improve early detection in the region. It’s the largest fire detection camera network in Australia. If the AI-powered system detects smoke, it alerts GTFA and CFA by sending an email and text message.
The photo above shows a fire on the Hamilton–Dartmoor Road on 18 April this year, which was detected by the Digby camera site.
“If two cameras spot a fire, the system triangulates the data to give an exact location,” Anthony said. “If only one camera detects a fire, it will estimate the distance to the fire on a particular bearing.
“The GTFA has also added to Victoria’s aerial firefighting fleet through by contracting a firebombing helicopter that is stationed at Casterton. Last fire season it was dispatched 29 times.”
The GTFA is constantly looking at new ways to improve fire management. It has a subscription to the OroraTech satellite fire detection and notification service, and is also investigating other innovative fire unit types that are suited to working in plantations.
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