Tech Grove holds info session to help fight fires near military installations

By Shane Klestinski, Associate Editor

 

Central Florida Tech Grove held a virtual information session for the upcoming “SERDP/ESTCP Fire Equipment Challenge” involving the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) and the Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP), Feb. 6.

 

Chris Libutti, Ph.D., Tech Grove’s program director, hosted the session, interacting with Kevin Hiers, SERDP’s program manager for the Resource Conservation and Resiliency program.

 

Tech Grove is an innovation hub designed to foster cross-sector partnerships. In its support of Team Orlando and national defense stakeholders, it accelerates novel solutions in human performance, technology development and defense solutions.

 

Established by Congress in 1990 to address the Department of Defense’s (DOD) environmental issues, SERDP focuses on cross-service requirements and pursues solutions to the DOD’s installation challenges. SERDP and ESTCP fund projects that enhance resilience, natural hazard adaptation and conservation efforts to over 320 DOD installations. Their missions focus on protecting and building natural infrastructure, strengthening the defense supply chain, and ensuring warfighters’ health and safety.

 

The Wildland Fire Science Initiative seeks to develop advanced tools and technology for wildfire response, prescribed fire management, and firefighter training.

 

Libutti began the session by describing the challenge problem as wildland fire response on/near military lands as being “increasingly complex due to hazardous fuel conditions and weather extremes.”

 

The challenge’s problem statement involved current firefighting methods requiring advanced ground robotics and automation to address growing wildfire risks effectively, as well as innovations in remotely operated and autonomous equipment being able to enhance response capabilities. Libutti said the challenge seeks to harness emerging technology to support firefighting operations in high-risk environments.

 

“The desired solution… is [the acceleration of] evaluation and deployment of autonomous firefighting technologies, increased efficiency in firefighting operations, improved firefighter safety in hazardous conditions, and scalable solutions for broader adoption in military and civilian applications,” Libutti said. “We’re really looking for ground-based solutions. That’s the big, key component of this prize challenge.”

 

Hiers noted that he had enjoyed examining the creativity among multiple teams that have developed autonomy-focused software and hardware meant to improve the level of fire-resistant material in autonomous vehicles. However, he specifically mentioned that the most critical thing he had not yet seen much was the understanding of firefighting functions that autonomous vehicles need to accomplish.

 

“We don’t need a ‘superbot’ to do all things, but we intentionally have left firefighting operational applications broadly defined,” Hiers said. “There has been some amazing creativity at the tabletop, just in thinking through things that current technology can accomplish. We’re not afraid of a [slightly lower technology readiness level] that combines advances in multiple teams and multiple disciplines. Really focusing on those firefighting operational functions that a team wants to address is going to be essential.”

 

Hiers later explained that there are times and conditions when human presence on the fire line “is just simply too dangerous,” hence the need for further development of autonomous and remote-controlled assets. Not only do firefighters have to contend with the obvious safety threat of fire and high temperatures, but nighttime operations and “rollouts” (boulders that dislodge after surrounding vegetation burns away) can present expected and unexpected dangers. When firefighting officials can predict such threats, maintaining safety can prevent access to necessary areas or keep firefighters from executing basic surveillance tasks.

 

Firefighters don’t always carry breathing equipment that prevents smoke inhalation because the added weight can make it impractical in the course of their mission. At seven pounds, even the portable fire shelters they often carry are considered at the upper limit (weight-wise) of what leaders want firefighting personnel taking to the field, due to the weight of all their other gear.

 

“Broadly speaking, the technology and the tabletop brainstorming has highlighted opportunities to explore more advanced technologies for specific functions outside of autonomy,” Hiers said.  “[However,] for this specific prize challenge, we want those vehicles to have a function and creative combinations of technologies to enhance the operational utility of an autonomous, remote-controlled vehicle as the focus.”

 

The first major deadline in the challenge for challenge participants is Feb. 28 to submit prototypes and required documents. Prize amounts for the challenge are $85,000, $55,000 and $30,000 for first through third place, respectively.

 

Interested parties can learn more at https://www.challenge.gov/?challenge=strategic-environmental-research-and-development-program-serdp-fire-equipment-challenge.

 

To view the entire information session, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU6GKZ2UIa4.