The Story of Fire Tech
We know our future involves forest fires due to water issues. But we now have some strategies to help that will give us hope. Here is what you will want to know.
5/14/20241 min read
A publication caught my eye recently that warrants further investigation. Always interested in finding a story, I discovered an article by Nikk Ogasa on Science News dated April 30, 2024 entitled: 'A new approach to fighting wildfires combines local knowledge and AI'.
This is about PODS or potential operational delineations. An AI form of tech that divides landscapes into sections enables users to contain fires within each pod. Locals offer their input which is combined with AI to figure this out prior to the fire season.
With management to remove brush in the area, that creates a zone where material will not burn as easily and prior knowledge about the availability of these sections helps to work with blazes out of control.
POD networks have already been established in western areas from California to Washington and east to Minnesota. This includes state and private lands and 70 national forests. This is one avenue being considered but the worry is it will not be as efficient as what indigenous groups did prior to this.
Fires have not been on our radar when it comes to political budgets until lack of water forced our hands. This is often the trend when it comes to change. Nothing is done till the situation can no longer be dodged.
But the good news is we are learning and North America is on track to being proactive once again. The key seems to be working together to create POD webs and sharing information regarding management, updating colour-coding to reflect terrains and providing workshops to educate players involved.