A Laser-Based Forest Fire Detection System

1990

S. 21-22

1 Abb.

Unselbständiges Werk

200047493

In the southeastern United States, humans start more than 90 percent of wildland fires. Detection as well as prevention and suppression has long been one of the priority efforts in a successful fire management program. Automated lightning detecton systems have greatly improved the detection of naturally occurring fires, but we still detect human-caused fires in much the same way we have since the initiation of fire protection in the United States - by human observation from either a lookout tower or, in recent years, from aircraft. The Florida Division of Forestry depends on lookouts in some 180 towers, supplemented by aircraft patrols, to spot smokes over the 25 million acres (10.1 million ha) of forest and wildlands in the State. Staffing and maintaining the lookout system entails an expenditure of more than $2 million per year. The division, in seeking more efficient and economical methods of fire detection, is exploring new technologies associated with the detection of forest fires.