scholarly journals ASSESSMENT OF FIREFIGHTING EFFICIENCY OF VEGETATION FIRES IN CURITIBA-PARANÁ

FLORESTA ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 900
Author(s):  
Heitor Renan Ferreira ◽  
Antonio Carlos Batista ◽  
Alexandre França Tetto
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fauna ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Fire Prevention ◽  
Minimum Volume ◽  
Burnt Area ◽  
Fire Extinguishing ◽  
Vegetation Fires ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Military

Vegetation fires, when not controlled, cause economic disruption, temporary loss of vegetation, and damage to soil, fauna and health. To improve the process of fire prevention and firefighting, it is necessary to evaluate the performance of the involved agents. The objective of this study was to evaluate the firefighting efficiency of vegetation fires in the municipality of Curitiba, Paraná, from 2011 to 2015, using records from the Fire Department of the Military Police of Paraná. Once the consistency of the fire records was verified, they were classified and information was gathered regarding the extent of burnt area, time of first attack, combat time, main fire-extinguishing methods used, and amount of water used. The results indicate that 88% of the records registered a burnt area inferior or equal to four hectares. In addition, the mean burnt area was of 2,399.21 m², the mean attack time was of 14.1 minutes, and the mean combat time was of 29.9 minutes, all lower than the ones presented by studies from different locations. As for the fire-extinguishing methods, it was verified that smothering equipment and water were used in 66.4 and 60.6% of the records, respectively. The mean amount of water used was of 1,186.56 liters per fire, indicating a minimum volume necessary for water storage containers for firefighting in the study area. Based on the results, we concluded that the firefighting of vegetation fires in Curitiba is efficient.

scholarly journals Improving Sustainability of Smart Cities through Visualization Techniques for Big Data from IoT Devices

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (14) ◽  
pp. 5595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Lavalle ◽  
Miguel A. Teruel ◽  
Alejandro Maté ◽  
Juan Trujillo
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Heterogeneous Data ◽  
Fire Extinguishing ◽  
Heterogeneous Data Sources ◽  
Iot Devices ◽  
Visualization Techniques ◽  
The Impact

Fostering sustainability is paramount for Smart Cities development. Lately, Smart Cities are benefiting from the rising of Big Data coming from IoT devices, leading to improvements on monitoring and prevention. However, monitoring and prevention processes require visualization techniques as a key component. Indeed, in order to prevent possible hazards (such as fires, leaks, etc.) and optimize their resources, Smart Cities require adequate visualizations that provide insights to decision makers. Nevertheless, visualization of Big Data has always been a challenging issue, especially when such data are originated in real-time. This problem becomes even bigger in Smart City environments since we have to deal with many different groups of users and multiple heterogeneous data sources. Without a proper visualization methodology, complex dashboards including data from different nature are difficult to understand. In order to tackle this issue, we propose a methodology based on visualization techniques for Big Data, aimed at improving the evidence-gathering process by assisting users in the decision making in the context of Smart Cities. Moreover, in order to assess the impact of our proposal, a case study based on service calls for a fire department is presented. In this sense, our findings will be applied to data coming from citizen calls. Thus, the results of this work will contribute to the optimization of resources, namely fire extinguishing battalions, helping to improve their effectiveness and, as a result, the sustainability of a Smart City, operating better with less resources. Finally, in order to evaluate the impact of our proposal, we have performed an experiment, with non-expert users in data visualization.

Spatial distribution and temporal variability of open fire in China

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunpeng Yi ◽  
Yulong Bao ◽  
Jiquan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Meteorological Data ◽  
Fire Season ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽  
Burnt Area ◽  
The North ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Vegetation Fires ◽  
Precipitation Variation ◽  
Two Peaks

This study presents the spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation fires in China based on a combination of national fire records (1950–2010) and satellite fire data (2001–12). This analysis presents the first attempt to understand existing patterns of open fires and their consequences for the whole of China. We analysed inter- and intra-annual fire trends and variations in nine subregions of China as well as associated monthly meteorological data from 130 stations within a 50-year period. During the period 2001–12, an average area of 3.2 × 106 ha was consumed by fire per year in China. The Chinese fire season has two peaks occurring in the spring and autumn. The profiles of the burnt area for each subregion exhibit distinct seasonality. The majority of the vegetation fires occurred in the north-eastern and south-western provinces. We analysed quantitative relationships between climate (temperature and precipitation) and burnt area. The results indicate a synchronous relationship between precipitation variation and burnt area. The data in this paper reveal how climate and human activities interact to create China’s distinctive pyrogeography.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Problems and Safety Measures of Magnesium Fires

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-104
Author(s):  
Euipyeong Lee
Keyword(s):  
Research And Development ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Case Analysis ◽  
Fire Fighting ◽  
Fire Prevention ◽  
Safety Measures ◽  
Fire Extinguishing

The problems and safety measures for magnesium fires were analyzed based on the fire case analysis in this study. The following problems were analyzed: ① the fire occurs in areas where there is no regulation under the Hazardous Goods Safety Management Act, ② the lack of safety measures during the firefighting of magnesium fires, ③ absence of adaptive fire fighting agents or equipment, ④ absence of suitable fire fighting tactics. For safety measures, the following were analyzed: ① enactment of magnesium fire guidelines, ② the education and publicity regarding fire prevention and countermeasures by fire organizations, ③ the obligation to have appropriate fire extinguishing agents in the places where magnesium is stored and handled, ④ the development of suppression equipment and fire fighting tactics, and ⑤ the research and development of fire extinguishing agents.

scholarly journals Responses of a Pre-hospital Emergency Medical Service During Military Conflict Versus COVID-19: A Retrospective Comparative Cohort Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eli Jaffe ◽  
Roman Sonkin ◽  
Evan Avraham Alpert ◽  
Erik Zerath
Keyword(s):  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Motor Vehicle Collisions ◽  
Vehicle Collisions ◽  
Military Conflict ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Military Conflicts ◽  
Comparative Cohort Study ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Military ◽  
Conflict Period

ABSTRACT Background Decreases in routine healthcare practices have been shown to occur during disasters. However, research regarding the impacts of natural disasters, pandemics, or military conflicts on emergency medical services (EMS) is scarce. Objectives This study assessed the impact of a military conflict versus the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on a national EMS organization in terms of responses to overall daily emergencies, medical illnesses, motor vehicle collisions, and other injuries. Methods This retrospective comparative cohort study assessed daily routine emergency ambulance calls to Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s national EMS organization. This included overall emergency calls as well as those related to medical illnesses, motor vehicle collisions (MVCs), and other injuries. All data were obtained from the MDA command and control database. During the military conflict Operation Protective Edge (2014), the civilian population was subjected to intensive rocket attacks for 24 days, followed by 26 days of a progressive withdrawal of operations and then to a post-conflict period. During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic (March-April 2020), the population was subjected to 32 days of total lockdown, followed by 27 days of progressive relief of confinement, and then to a post-lockdown period. Results The total number of emergency calls in this study was 330,430. During the conflict, the mean number of daily calls decreased, followed by an increase during Relief and Post-Conflict with higher values in Post-Conflict than in Pre-Conflict. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a decrease in the mean daily number of calls during Lockdown. It remained low during Relief and increased during Post-Lockdown. However, it remained lower in Post-Lockdown than during Pre-Lockdown. Calls related to medical illnesses decreased during the conflict and during the lockdown. The post-conflict period was characterized by a similar baseline call magnitude but not during the post-lockdown period. Decreases in calls for MVC and other injuries were significant during the lockdown but not during the military conflict. Post-lockdown was accompanied by return to baseline call volumes for MVC, whereas calls for other injuries increased above baseline both after the lockdown and military conflict. Conclusion This study shows decreasing trends in routine daily calls for EMS during both Operation Protective Edge and COVID-19. However, different patterns of needs for EMS were evidenced for medical illnesses, MVC, or calls concerning other injuries. These results are instrumental for managing the operational demands of EMS during military conflicts and pandemics.

scholarly journals Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Biomass Open Burning Emissions in the Greater Mekong Subregion

Climate ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (8) ◽  
pp. 90
Author(s):  
Agapol Junpen ◽  
Jirataya Roemmontri ◽  
Athipthep Boonman ◽  
Penwadee Cheewaphongphan ◽  
Pham Thi Bich Thao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Landsat 8 ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Burnt Area ◽  
Fire Emissions ◽  
Vegetation Fires ◽  
Agricultural Burning ◽  
Burnt Areas ◽  
Greater Mekong Subregion

Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) burnt area products are widely used to assess the damaged area after wildfires and agricultural burning have occurred. This study improved the accuracy of the assessment of the burnt areas by using the MCD45A1 and MCD64A1 burnt area products with the finer spatial resolution product from the Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager/Thermal Infrared Sensor (OLI/TIRS) surface reflectance data. Thus, more accurate wildfires and agricultural burning areas in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) for the year 2015 as well as the estimation of the fire emissions were reported. In addition, the results from this study were compared with the data derived from the fourth version of the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) that included small fires (GFED4.1s). Upon analysis of the data of the burnt areas, it was found that the burnt areas obtained from the MCD64A1 and MCD45A1 had lower values than the reference fires for all vegetation fires. These results suggested multiplying the MCD64A1 and MCD45A1 for the GMS by the correction factors of 2.11−21.08 depending on the MODIS burnt area product and vegetation fires. After adjusting the burnt areas by the correction factor, the total biomass burnt area in the GMS during the year 2015 was about 33.3 million hectares (Mha), which caused the burning of 109 ± 22 million tons (Mt) of biomass. This burning emitted 178 ± 42 Mt of CO2, 469 ± 351 kilotons (kt) of CH4, 18 ± 3 kt of N2O, 9.4 ± 4.9 Mt of CO, 345 ± 206 kt of NOX, 46 ± 25 kt of SO2, 147 ± 117 kt of NH3, 820 ± 489 kt of PM2.5, 60 ± 32 kt of BC, and 350 ± 205 kt of OC. Furthermore, the emission results of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in all countries were slightly lower than GFED4.1s in the range between 0.3 and 0.6 times.

scholarly journals Greening Trends of Southern China Confirmed by GRACE

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Chang ◽  
Wenke Sun
Keyword(s):  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Southern China ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Mass Change ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Change Rate ◽  
Water Storage Capacity ◽  
Source Data ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Gravity Recovery

As reported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the world has been greening over the last two decades, with the highest greening occurring in China and India. The increasing vegetation will increase plant tissue accumulation and water storage capacity, and all of these variations will cause mass change. In this study, we found that the mass change related to greening in Southern China could be confirmed by Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) observations. The mean mass change rate detected by GRACE is 6.7 ± 0.8 mm/yr in equivalent water height during 2003–2016 in our study region. This is consistent with the sum of vegetation tissue, soil water and groundwater change calculated using multi-source data. The vegetation accumulation is approximately 3.8 ± 1.3 mm/yr, which is the major contribution to region mass change. We also found that the change of water storage capacity related to vegetation can be detected by GRACE.

The effect of fallowing on the yield of wheat. I. The effect on soil water storage and nitrate supply

1978 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 653 ◽  
Author(s):  
RJ French
Keyword(s):  
Water Storage ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Summer Rainfall ◽  
Soil Water Storage ◽  
Wheat Crop ◽  
Two Factors ◽  
Soil Preparation ◽  
Additional Water ◽  
Nitrate Supply ◽  
The Mean

The effect of fallowing before a wheat crop was studied in South Australia in an environment with suboptimal rainfall in the growing season. A 9–10 month pre-sowing fallow increased mean water storage (0–120 cm depth) at sowing by 28 mm, compared with a non-fallow soil preparation (2 month period of cultivation). Variation in additional storage ranged from nil to 125 mm. These amounts depended on soil type and season: in coarse-textured soils, fallowing conserved little additional water, but in fine-textured soils much additional water could be stored. Storage was not related to the summer rainfall (November-March) before sowing but was related to rainfall during July and August in the previous winter—just before or at the start of the fallow period. A combination of these two factors, fine-textured soil and good July–August rainfall, gave considerable storage. Fallowing also increased the nitrate nitrogen content in the surface 60 cm at sowing; the mean additional nitrogen amounted to 19 kg/ha in the coarse-textured soils and 30 kg/ha in the fine-textured soils. The largest increases due to fallowing were recorded in soils following medic leys and with ample rains on the fallow in spring. Comparison is made between these findings and those obtained with fallowing in other parts of Australia.

Reconstruction of GRACE Total Water Storage Through Automated Machine Learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Sun ◽  
Bridget Scanlon ◽  
Himanshu Save ◽  
Ashraf Rateb
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Total Water ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Satellite Mission ◽  
Automated Machine Learning ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Impact

<p>The GRACE satellite mission and its follow-on, GRACE-FO, have provided unprecedented opportunities to quantify the impact of climate extremes and human activities on total water storage at large scales. The approximately one-year data gap between the two GRACE missions needs to be filled to maintain data continuity and maximize mission benefits. There is strong interest in using machine learning (ML) algorithms to reconstruct GRACE-like data to fill this gap. So far, most studies attempted to train and select a single ML algorithm to work for global basins. However, hydrometeorological predictors may exhibit strong spatial variability which, in turn, may affect the performance of ML models. Existing studies have already shown that no single algorithm consistently outperformed others over all global basins. In this study, we applied an automated machine learning (AutoML) workflow to perform GRACE data reconstruction. AutoML represents a new paradigm for optimal model structure selection, hyperparameter tuning, and model ensemble stacking, addressing some of the most challenging issues related to ML applications. We demonstrated the AutoML workflow over the conterminous U.S. (CONUS) using six types of ML algorithms and multiple groups of meteorological and climatic variables as predictors. Results indicate that the AutoML-assisted gap filling achieved satisfactory performance over the CONUS. For the testing period (2014/06–2017/06), the mean gridwise Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency is around 0.85, the mean correlation coefficient is around 0.95, and the mean normalized root-mean square error is about 0.09. Trained models maintain good performance when extrapolating to the mission gap and to GRACE-FO periods (after 2017/06). Results further suggest that no single algorithm provides the best predictive performance over the entire CONUS, stressing the importance of using an end-to-end workflow to train, optimize, and combine multiple machine learning models to deliver robust performance, especially when building large-scale hydrological prediction systems and when predictor importance exhibits strong spatial variability.</p>

The Wake-Effect—Emergency Vehicle-Related Collisions

1997 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 41-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeff J. Clawson ◽  
Robert L. Martin ◽  
Geoff A. Cady ◽  
Ronald F. Maio
Keyword(s):  
Salt Lake ◽  
Salt Lake City ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Geographic Area ◽  
Emergency Vehicle ◽  
Survey Analysis ◽  
Wake Effect ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
The Mean

AbstractIntroduction:Emergency medical vehicle collisions (EMVCs) occurring during initia response and with patient transport have been a long-standing problem for emergency medical services (EMS) systems. Experience suggests “wake-effect” collision occur as a result of an EMS vehicle's transit, but do not involve the emergency medical vehicle (EMV). Substantiating the existence and magnitude of wake-effect collisions may have major implications regarding the manner of EMV response.Hypothesis:Paramedics will report that wake-effect collisions do occur and that the occur more frequently than do EMVCs.Methods:Design: Survey analysis. Participants: Thirty paramedics employed by the Salt Lake City (Utah) Fire Department and 45 paramedics employed by Salt Lake County Fire Department. Geographic Area: Service area has population of 650,000 and is urban, suburban, and rural. Measurements: The survey consisted of three openended questions concerning years on the job, EMVCs, and wake-effect collisions. Analysis: The mean value for the number of EMVCs and wake-effect EMVCs, along with the 0.95 confidence intervals (0.95 CI) were determined.Results:Seventy-three surveys were analyzed. Sixty EMVCs and 255 wake-effect collisions were reported. Overall, the mea value for the number EMVCs per respondent was 0.82 (0.60–1.05) and for wake-effect collisions 3.49 (2.42–4.55). The mean values for EMVC's for each service were 0.86 (0.50–1.38); 0.80 (0.50–11.0). For wake-effect collisions the mean values were 4.59 (2.83–6.35); and 2.76 (1.46–4.06) respectively.Conclusion:This study suggests that the wake-effect collision is real and may occur with greater frequency than do EMVCs. Significant limitations of this study are recall bias and misclassiftcation bias. Future studies are needed to define more precisely wake-effect collision prevalence and the resulting “cost” in regards to injury and vehicle/property damage.

scholarly journals Impact Assessment of Indigenous Field-Level Water Storage Structure (Diggi) on Agriculture in the Great Indian Desert

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pratap Chandra Moharana ◽  
R.K. Goyal ◽  
Deepesh Machiwal ◽  
C.B. Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Water Storage ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Irrigated Agriculture ◽  
Land Use Land Cover ◽  
Canal Water ◽  
High Resolution Satellite Images ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Crop Area ◽  
Storage Structures

Abstract In the arid region of Rajasthan, India, it is very often a challenge to store rain/surface water for year-round use by human and livestock. The inhabitants of this desert area have developed several water storage structures, which they used to construct based on their indigenous knowledge of local terrain conditions. Recently, farmers living in the lower command areas of Indira Gandhi canal have constructed micro-farm water storage structures, called diggi, in their cropland. They store allocated canal water in diggi to timely utilize it as per irrigation requirements, and thus, done away with problems of deficit and untimely canal water supply. This impact assessment study, carried out in Poogal tehsil of Bikaner district, analyzed high-resolution satellite images of two years and used geographic information system to quantify diggi structures and studied the diggi-growth interactions with changing rainfall pattern as well as land use/land cover. Results showed that during 2018, about 3243 number of structures were constructed compared to 241 existed during 2004-05. The mean annual rainfall increased by 30% and crop area by 12772 ha during the same period that included 7.86% increase in irrigated and 2.98% in rainfed croplands. Thus, diggi based water management has been immensely helpful in the perspective of irrigated agriculture in the desert region.

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