Test fire guidelines
Learn how to ensure the fire tests are conducted properly.
Overview
Inform local fire department
Before burning the test fire, ensure the local Fire Department and relevant authorities are notified of the test fire. Also, ensure a test fire is permitted.
Use a realistic test location
We strongly recommend running the fire test in a location that is similar to the Pilot or Live deployment. Do not run the test in a location that is vastly different from the intended deployment location.
For example, running a test fire in an urban parking lot causes discrepancies. Wildfire Sensors are primarily forest sensors and urban areas can affect the functionality.
Use Map View
You can use the Map view of the Silvanet Management app to find the ideal location for the test fire.
Use homogeneous material
Use a collection of homogeneous plant material (uniform in size and composition) for the test fire. Material should be of various sizes all of which are fast-burning branches or twigs but not logs.
Review the requirements for plant material in the following table.
| Requirement | Description |
|---|---|
Use material similar to final deployment location. | Collect between 5 and 10 kg of plant material similar to the final deployment location, including smaller and bigger twigs, leaves as well as freshly cut and previously dried branches with needles. |
Leaves and needles create smoke. | To create smoke, ensure leaves or needles are still on the branches. |
Ensure material is dried and stored. | Dry out in advance the collected material and store them in a cool, dry location. Use the 14 day duration of the calibration period to allow the material to dry out and to be ready for burning. |
Weigh material. | Weigh the material before placing them on the fire pit. This ensures the same amount of material is used for subsequent test fire. |
Prepare enough material for a 30-minute burn. | Collect sufficient material to keep the fire burning for up to 30 minutes. |
Burn a realistic test fire
To reflect conditions of real wildfires, the test fire should not diminish as the test runs, nor should the test fire resemble a BBQ fire.
As the wind direction cannot be controlled, provide sufficient time for smoke from the test fire to hit one or more Wildfire Sensors.
Ensure test fire burns for at least 30 minutes
Ensure you continually feed the fire with material to keep the fire burning for at least 20-30 minutes to allow smoke from the test fire to reach one or more Wildfire Sensors. They are designed to detect fire at the smoldering phase - before there is an open fire.
Normally, detection time is within minutes (less than 1 hour from ignition). This is dependent on fuel volume, wind speed and wind direction. A denser deployment will decrease the time to detection and detection rate.
Take note of smoke behavior
Because wildfire smoke behaves differently in different locations, select a location that is realistic and reflects the final deployment environment.
A parking lot, work yard or an urban area may not be the best location for a setup although it may be convenient. The results of a test in those type of locations would not be very useful. For example, under a forest canopy, wind behavior is different from wind behavior in an open area such as a work yard.
Four-hour gap between fire tests
When performing fire tests, repeatedly lighting a fire and checking the response in short time interval (less than 1 hour) results in poor Wildfire Sensor performance.
The sensor needs a 1-hour time window to settle and restore fire detection sensitivity.
Wait 24 hours
For best results leave the sensors alone in the forest. Do not have vehicles nearby or anything that interacts with the sensors and then wait 24 hours before running another test.
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