South Australia’s very first unexpected emergency providers automobiles have been fitted with automated vehicle location (AVL) technology as element of a trial aimed at increasing fireground intelligence for the duration of bushfires.
The trial, which commenced very last thirty day period, is a precursor for a wider rollout of AVL on Region Fireplace Service, Point out Emergency Products and services and Division of Natural environment and H2o appliances later this year.
The point out government has allotted $five million to the trial and a business enterprise situation for the full rollout to far more than 1400 automobiles just before the 2021/22 bushfire season.
It follows a damning independent evaluate into the state’s bushfires very last year, which identified as for the government to urgently introduce AVL on the firefighting vehicle fleet.
AVL has been advisable since 2012, but it has frequently been postponed by the SA Fireplace and Emergency Products and services Commission (SAFECOM). It was very last identified as for in the 2015 Pinery fires evaluate.
“In an age when each taxi and journey sharing system has AVL, it is shocking that firefighting automobiles made use of frequently in higher-threat, higher-risk ecosystem do not,” the report stated.
Emergency providers minister Vincent Tarzia stated the planned rollout of the technology would strengthen “response functionality for the duration of bushfires”, although also increasing protection for firefighters.
“AVL is the potential of battling bushfires in South Australia and will enable us to pinpoint the location of any asset, whenever and wherever to the 2nd,” he stated in a statement.
“AVL boosts protection by making it possible for us to continue to keep a watchful eye in excess of our hardworking CFS and SES volunteers and staff for the duration of bushfires.”
Tarzia stated the trials took location in parts significantly devastated by very last year’s fires, which includes the Mount Loft Ranges, on Kangaroo Island, the West Coastline, Yorke Peninsula, Far North and South East.
Safecom CEO Dom Lane stated the AVL task team had analyzed connectivity on Kangaroo Island, which includes across quite a few satellite only parts in distant elements.
“Key results of the trials ended up to check the remedies and validate their potential to failover from cellular to satellite in difficult protection areas,” he stated.
The AVL team also travelled to Wottons Scrub in the vicinity of Mount George, the place the technology was analyzed and check out and analysed by SES staff.