Run test fires
Carefully follow the steps described in this topic to run test fires.
Inform the fire department of your tests
Contact the local fire department / authorities and clarify whether you are allowed to make a test fire.
Use a proper fire pit
A BBQ may not provide the appropriate level of smoke, nor duration.
Avoid contact with Sensors after deployment
AFTER SENSORS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED AND CALIBRATED, DO NOT INTERACT WITH THE SENSORS AS THIS WILL CAUSE ERRORS WITH SENSOR VALUES AND COULD ALSO RESET THE SENSOR CALIBRATION.
Do not use artificial fire lighter
Do not use any artificial fire lighter as these have a different chemical composition and set free other burning gasses that can create false measurements from the sensors.
Ensure the fire sends out smoke not sparks
Ensure the fire does not send out sparks and that it consists mostly of smoke due to the burning needles. Ensure the fire is generating smoke rather than having a burning camp-fire style fire.
Extinguish the fire after running the fire test
Take precautions and make sure you can extinguish the fire. Do not leave hot ash in the forest. Also, as a precaution, have sufficient water available to be able to extinguish the fire after the test.
Test fire guidelines
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
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.
Because wildfire smoke behaves differently in different locations, select a location that is realistic and reflects the final deployment environment.
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.
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.
Use material similar to 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.
Use 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 be ready for burning.
Weigh material
Weigh the material before placing it on the fire pit. This ensures the same amount of material is used for any subsequent test fire.
Prepare enough material for a 30-minute burn
Collect sufficient material to keep the fire burning for up to 30 minutes.
Run test fire
Record weight of material
Record the weight and type of material you plan on burning. You need this information for any follow up tests to ensure you consistently use the same weight and type of material for each test fire.
Record the type of material you plan on burning.
Record the weight of the material you plan on burning for the duration of this test fire, including the material you plan on adding to keep the fire burning.
Prepare the fire pit
Use a metal fire pit with a diameter of approximately 1 m and place it in the middle of the deployed sensors. Use material similar to the forest material to make the smoke realistic.
Start the fire
Start the test fire by igniting small, dry branches and slowly grow the fire.
Ensure test fire burns for at least 30 minutes
Burn the fire for approximately 30 minutes by using small branches to keep the fire going. Constantly feed the fire by adding fresh material such as smaller branches with needles on top of the fire.
Sensors need 1-5 min of smoke exposure to trigger a fire detection process. Visually confirm smoke from the fire reaches the sensors.
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.
Fire alerts
The expected time between the ignition of the fire and receiving a fire alert should be within minutes. You should expect a fire alert in the Site Management app and receive a fire alert email.
A fire alert icon appears in the map for the Site displaying the fire's location. Open the details of the fire by clicking the fire alert Icon.
Record the results
During and after the test, document the results of the test. It should include the following information:
Distance of the fire pit to the Sensor(s) that triggered a fire alert.
Weight of the amount of material used for the duration of the test fire, including the material added to the fire during the burn.
Duration of the burn.
Visual confirmation of smoke hitting the sensors (ideally as a video).
The test conditions must be documented precisely. For example, document the wind direction, wind speed, changing winds and other environmental conditions which allow for an accurate evaluation of the reaction of the sensors.
Ensure fire is completely extinguished
Ensure the fire is completely extinguished. Look for any embers under the burnt material.
Do not let any embers escape the fire pit/bowl and ignite the surrounding ground material.
Completely extinguish the fire
Ensure that the burnt material has been put out thoroughly and there are no hidden embers. This is to avoid a fire unintentionally starting.
Repeat fire tests (optional)
Repeating a fire test can be done but we highly recommend leaving a 4-hour time gap between fire tests.
Allow 1 hour gap between fire tests
When performing fire tests using the same setup, 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.
Modify fire setups
You can adjust the distances between Sensors, the placement of the fire pit or other modifications.
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