This morning the International Emergency Firefighters Limousine Association in Corrèze trialled technological innovations aimed at helping them better prevent and control wildfires in limousines.
A virtual reality headset that sends data in real time, and drones connected directly to the control center to intervene at any time. The devices are still in the prototype stage, but they may soon join the ranks of the region's firefighters.
In 2020, Sylvanus Project It was launched. With a budget of 24 million euros and eleven participating countries. The goal is to help firefighters in several European countries effectively monitor forest resources, assess biodiversity, create more accurate fire risk indicators and promote safety rules for local people affected by forest fires through awareness campaigns.
This morning, Polish, Spanish, Greek and French firefighters were able to test the different prototypes available to them. “I have a virtual drone that I can move wherever I want in the area I want“, explains a firefighter wearing a virtual reality headset.The principle is to implement new technologies funded by the European Commission to facilitate the work of firefighters in terms of intervention, prevention and reforestation.“, explains Colonel Philippe Besson, head of the International Emergency Fire Brigade. “This exercise allows us to show firefighters, municipalities and partners the benefits of these new technologies that will be implemented in the future.“.
We can imagine later that these virtual reality glasses will be integrated directly into the firefighter's helmet.
Razvan BurkariaAugmented reality engineer
Among today's gadgets are virtual reality glasses attached to a drone that can send real-time data and images to a control center. “If a firefighter wears these glasses, he can send information to a command center that can make a decisionsays Razvan Porkaria, augmented reality engineer. “We can later imagine that these glasses are built directly into the firefighter's helmet“, he concludes. A promising innovation, but it is still in the prototype stage. “These are technologies that are still under development, because the project will end at the beginning of 2025. The exercises aim to be completed“, specifies the engineer.
Feedback from firefighters will make it possible to improve it. This morning, there were about fifty attendees for the exercise.
