Bushfires create havoc in Australia every year. 1 in 10 Australians are affected. And while firefighters do their utmost to stop bushfires that have started from spreading, advance warning that a bushfire is coming is the greatest defence weapon that any Australian can have.
M&C Saatchi’s innovation group, Tricky Jigsaw and NRMA Insurance have created that advance warning system, NRMA FireBlanket. They will now assess and develop it with leading science organisation, Data61, a division of CSIRO.
NRMA FireBlanket is an early bushfire detection and monitoring network prototype made up of sensor nodes that sniff the air for bushfire smoke. When a sensor node detects smoke, it communicates via a wireless sensor network to locate the fire’s source.
The partnership with CSIRO Data61 follows almost two years of research and development by NRMA and Tricky Jigsaw to build and test the NRMA FireBlanket.
It will enable the prototype to be tested and evaluated beside other bushfire prevention technologies to determine if it could complement them.
Ben Cooper, innovation partner at Tricky Jigsaw, noted, “This project has allowed us to collaborate on a prototype that has the potential to create on the ground ‘bush intelligence’ that gives always-on insight into bushfire conditions and threat. R&D continues with CSIRO’s Data 61 to move it closer to reality.”
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Jane Merrick, general manager of marketing and customer experience for NRMA Insurance, commented, “NRMA Insurance has a long history of being there for customers before, during and after a disaster. With one in 10 Australians being impacted by bushfire at some point in their lives, we have developed the NRMA FireBlanket project to explore the role technology can play in helping us to detect and prevent bushfires.”
Michael Canning, executive creative director at M&C Saatchi, added, “Bushfires are a real danger for many Australian communities. NRMA FireBlanket™ is an exciting initiative we’re collaborating on with NRMA Insurance to help make Australian homes and Australian families safer. We’re looking forward to sharing more about the prototype as we undertake further testing.”
