Bushfire system wins $10,000 in Young Australian Design Award

A new early warning bushfire detection system has taken out the top prize of $10,000 in the Hills Young Australian Design Award of the Year at the 2015 Good Design Awards.

Max Glanville from the University of New South Wales was the designer of Fire Front, a safety system that employs a combination of thermal imaging and ultrasonic wind sensors to allow early detection of extreme heat and flames.

Hills Chief of Health Innovation and Growth Leica Ison said the designs were some of the most creative and original she had seen.

“Fire Front impressed with its extreme relevance as a bushfire prevention system, but also its clever combination of technology as part of the design solution,” Ison said.

“This year’s finalists were an outstanding group and yet these category winners really stood out from the crowd. It’s quite an achievement and they are all to be congratulated.”

Fire Front enables early detection of a bushfire, resulting in a rapid response by both residents and fire services to help determine either an early escape or preparation to fight and protect.

Detectors mounted around a property, combined with a home module and mobile app, allow owners to stay alert and prepared whether present or absent from their property.

The detector can monitor temperature, wind speed and direction. Property owners can also use the app to set up and engage their survival plan, including a ‘house lock down’ option that will automatically engage roller shutters and sprinkler systems once a fire is detected.

The system creates links to form a hyperlocal detection network, providing simultaneous communication and pairing between all detectors within the network via Wi-Fi and 4G connectivity, for live and fast delivery of information to those affected.

For more details on the design, visit the Hills website here.

Image courtesy of Hills.