Fire Response Research Articles

Efficient value synthesis in the orbitofrontal cortex explains how loss aversion adapts to the ranges of gain and loss prospects.

Is irrational behavior the incidental outcome of biological constraints imposed on neural information processing? In this work, we consider the paradigmatic case of gamble decisions, where gamble values integrate prospective gains and losses. Under the assumption that neurons have a limited firing response range, we show that mitigating the ensuing information loss within artificial neural networks that synthetize value involves a specific form of self-organized plasticity. We demonstrate that the ensuing efficient value synthesis mechanism induces value range adaptation. We also reveal how the ranges of prospective gains and/or losses eventually determine both the behavioral sensitivity to gains and losses and the information content of the network. We test these predictions on two fMRI datasets from the OpenNeuro.org initiative that probe gamble decision-making but differ in terms of the range of gain prospects. First, we show that peoples' loss aversion eventually adapts to the range of gain prospects they are exposed to. Second, we show that the strength with which the orbitofrontal cortex (in particular: Brodmann area 11) encodes gains and expected value also depends upon the range of gain prospects. Third, we show that, when fitted to participant's gambling choices, self-organizing artificial neural networks generalize across gain range contexts and predict the geometry of information content within the orbitofrontal cortex. Our results demonstrate how self-organizing plasticity aiming at mitigating information loss induced by neurons' limited response range may result in value range adaptation, eventually yielding irrational behavior.

Implementation of fire incident response time service policy in Manado City Fire Service

The purpose of the research is to find out, analyze and describe the Implementation of Response Time Service Policy for Fire Incident Management in Manado City Fire Service and the determinant factors. The method used in this research is qualitative research method. The results showed that in the implementation of the Fire Event Response Time Service Policy in Manado City Fire Service, there are six important indicators, namely (1) Media call center which plays an important role in fire handling as the main link between the community and fire handling officials, (2) Implementing apparatus consisting of various roles with complementary responsibilities, from fire fighting to fire prevention, (3) Fire fighting facilities in this case facilities and infrastructure which are important elements in fire management efforts, (4) The situation of the fire location which greatly affects the response and fire management activities, (5) The distance and limitations of hydrants which affect the speed and effectiveness of fire management, and (6) Coordination between agencies in fire management plays an important role in ensuring a fast, effective, and coordinated response to fire situations. The determinant factor in fire incident management efforts is Human Resources (HR) which is the main driving factor in the implementation of fire management. The Human Resources referred to here are the number of fire fighting personnel. Next is the facilities or facilities and infrastructure supporting firefighting activities which include vehicles and other extinguishing aids used in extinguishing activities, then the limited budget both in terms of the budget for operations and the budget for procurement and repair of facilities and infrastructure supporting extinguishing activities.

IMPLEMENTASI SISTEM TANGGAP DARURAT KEBAKARAN PADA GEDUNG UTAMA DI INDUSTRI PUPUK

A fire emergency response system is a series of procedures that must be carried out when a fire occurs to protect the safety of building occupants. The main objective of this final project is to ensure that the fire emergency response system in the main building of in the fertilizer industry. can function well when a fire occurs and can protect the safety of all main building employees. This research uses a qualitative research method which uses two types of data, namely primary data with in-depth interviews and observations, and secondary data from document reviews, company archives and literature studies. The results and discussion based on variables related to the implementation of the fire emergency response system can be concluded that the informants implemented the fire emergency response system procedures well and in accordance with established regulations. This is proven based on observations that in the main building of PT.X already has a fire emergency response system, such as a fire detection and alarm system, fire extinguishing system, evacuation routes, gathering points and other supporting equipment. Apart from that, there are also evacuation procedures, training and simulations, as well as maintenance of a fire emergency response system that is complete and in accordance with established regulations.

Sympathetic motor neuron dysfunction is a missing link in age-associated sympathetic overactivity

Overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system is a hallmark of aging. The cellular mechanisms behind this overactivity remain poorly understood, with most attention paid to likely central nervous system components. In this work, we hypothesized that aging also affects the function of motor neurons in the peripheral sympathetic ganglia. To test this hypothesis, we compared the electrophysiological responses and ion-channel activity of neurons isolated from the superior cervical ganglia of young (12 weeks), middle-aged (64 weeks), and old (115 weeks) mice. These approaches showed that aging does impact the intrinsic properties of sympathetic motor neurons, increasing spontaneous and evoked firing responses. A reduction of M current emerged as a major contributor to age-related hyperexcitability. Thus, it is essential to consider the effect of aging on motor components of the sympathetic reflex as a crucial part of the mechanism involved in sympathetic overactivity.

Sympathetic motor neuron dysfunction is a missing link in age-associated sympathetic overactivity.

Overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system is a hallmark of aging. The cellular mechanisms behind this overactivity remain poorly understood, with most attention paid to likely central nervous system components. In this work, we hypothesized that aging also affects the function of motor neurons in the peripheral sympathetic ganglia. To test this hypothesis, we compared the electrophysiological responses and ion-channel activity of neurons isolated from the superior cervical ganglia of young (12 weeks), middle-aged (64 weeks), and old (115 weeks) mice. These approaches showed that aging does impact the intrinsic properties of sympathetic motor neurons, increasing spontaneous and evoked firing responses. A reduction of M current emerged as a major contributor to age-related hyperexcitability. Thus, it is essential to consider the effect of aging on motor components of the sympathetic reflex as a crucial part of the mechanism involved in sympathetic overactivity.

A Bayesian analysis of domestic fire response and fire injury

In this article domestic fire response and fire injury was examined using a Bayesian analysis approach. A Bayesian model was developed to estimate the probability of non-fatal fire injury associated with a given fire response (escape, return to fire, fight the fire) under given circumstances of non-fatal fire injury (age band, gender, smoke alarm presence, type of domestic fire). The Bayesian model was developed using non-fatal fire injury data recorded by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service between 2011 to 2022. Overall, more domestic fire injuries relating to attempting to fight the fire occurred in properties with a smoke detector (82% of attempting to fight the fire injuries) compared to properties without a smoke detector (18% of attempting to fight the fire injuries). Similarly, fire injuries sustained returning to the fire mainly occurred in properties with a smoke detector (75% of returning to fire injuries) as opposed to properties without a smoke detector (25% of returning to fire injuries).

Pyrogenic carbon records of Holocene fire dynamics in the Yellow River Basin: Climate change and human activity forcing

Fire is a crucial component of Earth's ecosystems, with important environmental and socioeconomic implications. In this paper, we analyze black carbon and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a sediment core (YS-A) from the South Yellow Sea to investigate the driving forces of fire activity in the Yellow River Basin since 7.0 ka BP, when sea level stabilized and the modern pattern of ocean circulation system established. Our results indicate that fire activity gradually increased between 7.0 and 4.0 ka BP, reaching its highest level around 4.0–3.5 ka BP, and weakened between 3.5 and 0.5 ka BP, before rapidly increasing again after 0.5 ka BP. Climate change was found to be the dominant factor influencing fire history, with drier climatic conditions promoting fire activity during 7.0–4.0 ka BP, but suppressing it after 4.0 ka BP. This varied response of fire to climatic conditions is linked to the complex interaction between rainfall, vegetation cover, and fuel availability. Human activity is also shown to exert a complex impact, with some activities, such as deforestation, reducing vegetation cover and limiting fire activity over Late Holocene timescales, while other factors, such as coal burning, increasing high-temperature combustion since 0.5 ka BP. Furthermore, our findings suggest that fire activity has significantly influenced carbon sequestration in marine sediments, leading to an increase in the burial of refractory carbon from approximately 12 % to 18 % between 7.0 and 3.5 ka BP, and a higher proportion of terrestrial organic matter.

Modality-Specific and Amodal Language Processing by Single Neurons.

According to psycholinguistic theories, during language processing, spoken and written words are first encoded along independent phonological and orthographic dimensions, then enter into modality-independent syntactic and semantic codes. Non-invasive brain imaging has isolated several cortical regions putatively associated with those processing stages, but lacks the resolution to identify the corresponding neural codes. Here, we describe the firing responses of over 1000 neurons, and mesoscale field potentials from over 1400 microwires and 1500 iEEG contacts in 21 awake neurosurgical patients with implanted electrodes during written and spoken sentence comprehension. Using forward modeling of temporal receptive fields, we determined which sensory or abstract dimensions are encoded. We observed a double dissociation between superior temporal neurons sensitive to phonemes and phonological features and previously unreported ventral occipito-temporal neurons sensitive to letters and orthographic features. We also discovered novel neurons, primarily located in middle temporal and inferior frontal areas, which are modality-independent and show responsiveness to higher linguistic features. Overall, these findings show how language processing can be linked to neural dynamics, across multiple brain regions at various resolutions and down to the level of single neurons.

Pervasive fire danger continued under a negative emission scenario

Enhanced fire-prone weather under greenhouse gas warming can significantly affect local and global carbon budgets from increased fire occurrence, influencing carbon-climate feedbacks. However, the extent to which changes in fire-prone weather and associated carbon emissions can be mitigated by negative emissions remains uncertain. Here, we analyze fire weather responses in CO2 removal climate model experiments and estimate their potential carbon emissions based on an observational relationship between fire weather and fire-induced CO2 emissions. The results highlight that enhanced fire danger under global warming cannot be restored instantaneously by CO2 reduction, mainly due to atmospheric dryness maintained by climatic inertia. The exacerbated fire danger is projected to contribute to extra CO2 emissions in 68% of global regions due to the hysteresis of climate responses to CO2 levels. These findings highlight that even under global cooling from negative emissions, increased fire activity may reinforce the fire-carbon-climate feedback loop and result in further socio-economic damage.

Biodiversity impacts of the 2019–2020 Australian megafires

With large wildfires becoming more frequent1,2, we must rapidly learn how megafires impact biodiversity to prioritize mitigation and improve policy. A key challenge is to discover how interactions among fire-regime components, drought and land tenure shape wildfire impacts. The globally unprecedented3,4 2019–2020 Australian megafires burnt more than 10 million hectares5, prompting major investment in biodiversity monitoring. Collated data include responses of more than 2,000 taxa, providing an unparalleled opportunity to quantify how megafires affect biodiversity. We reveal that the largest effects on plants and animals were in areas with frequent or recent past fires and within extensively burnt areas. Areas burnt at high severity, outside protected areas or under extreme drought also had larger effects. The effects included declines and increases after fire, with the largest responses in rainforests and by mammals. Our results implicate species interactions, dispersal and extent of in situ survival as mechanisms underlying fire responses. Building wildfire resilience into these ecosystems depends on reducing fire recurrence, including with rapid wildfire suppression in areas frequently burnt. Defending wet ecosystems, expanding protected areas and considering localized drought could also contribute. While these countermeasures can help mitigate the impacts of more frequent megafires, reversing anthropogenic climate change remains the urgent broad-scale solution.

A Forest Fire Prediction Model Based on Meteorological Factors and the Multi-Model Ensemble Method

More than half of South Korea’s land area is covered by forests, which significantly increases the potential for extensive damage in the event of a forest fire. The majority of forest fires in South Korea are caused by humans. Over the past decade, more than half of these types of fires occurred during the spring season. Although human activities are the primary cause of forest fires, the fact that they are concentrated in the spring underscores the strong association between forest fires and meteorological factors. When meteorological conditions favor the occurrence of forest fires, certain triggering factors can lead to their ignition more easily. The purpose of this study is to analyze the meteorological factors influencing forest fires and to develop a machine learning-based prediction model for forest fire occurrence, focusing on meteorological data. The study focuses on four regions within Gangwon province in South Korea, which have experienced substantial damage from forest fires. To construct the model, historical meteorological data were collected, surrogate variables were calculated, and a variable selection process was applied to identify relevant meteorological factors. Five machine learning models were then used to predict forest fire occurrence and ensemble techniques were employed to enhance the model’s performance. The performance of the developed forest fire prediction model was evaluated using evaluation metrics. The results indicate that the ensemble model outperformed the individual models, with a higher F1-score and a notable reduction in false positives compared to the individual models. This suggests that the model developed in this study, when combined with meteorological forecast data, can potentially predict forest fire occurrence and provide insights into the expected severity of fires. This information could support decision-making for forest fire management, aiding in the development of more effective fire response plans.

The Efficacy of Red Flag Warnings in Mitigating Human-Caused Wildfires across the Western United States

Abstract Red flag warnings (RFWs) are issued by the US National Weather Service to alert fire and emergency response agencies of weather conditions that are conducive to extreme wildfire growth. Distinct from most weather warnings that aim to reduce exposure to anticipated hazards, RFWs may also mitigate hazards by reducing the occurrence of new ignitions. We examined the efficacy of RFWs as a means of limiting human-caused wildfire ignitions. From 2006-2020, approximately 8% of wildfires across the western United States, and 19% of large wildfires (≥40 ha), occurred on days with RFWs. Although the occurrence of both lightning- and human-caused wildfires was elevated on RFW days compared to adjacent days without RFWs, we found evidence that modification of short-term behavioral choices on RFW days may reduce the number of certain human-caused ignitions (e.g., debris burning). By contrast, there is limited historical evidence that RFWs reduce the number of ignitions caused by habitual behaviors (e.g., smoking) or infrastructure (e.g., powerlines). Furthermore, the conditional probability of a human-caused wildfire becoming a large wildfire was 33% greater on days with RFWs, underscoring the value of wildfire prevention on these days. While RFWs are helpful in certain cases, our results suggest that their efficacy as a wildfire prevention measure has been somewhat limited in the western United States. As biophysical wildfire potential and the density of people living in wildfire-prone areas increase, so do the benefits of improved wildfire early warning systems that complement other wildfire mitigation and adaptation efforts.

External drivers of changes in wildland firefighter safety policies and practices

Background Firefighter safety is a top priority in wildland fire response and management. Existing explanations emphasise how land management agency initiatives to change organisational culture, usually inspired by fatality incidents, contribute to changes both in formal safety policies and informal safety practices. Aims This paper identifies external factors that lead to changes in wildland firefighter safety policies and practices. Methods This paper uses qualitative data from a long-term ethnographic research project. Data include detailed fieldnotes, semi-structured interviews, and agency documents, which were systematically coded and thematically analysed. Key results In addition to the triggering effects of fatality incidents and agency initiatives to change organisational culture, external factors also directly impact the development of firefighter safety policies and practices. These include sociodemographic, material, political, and social-environmental factors. Conclusions Identifying and understanding the influence of multi-scalar external factors on firefighter safety is essential to improving safety outcomes and reducing firefighters’ exposure to hazards. Implications Attention to and recognition of external factors is valuable for fire managers and practitioners, whose work is influenced and constrained by meso- and macro-level factors. The framework presented in this paper would be useful in understanding other important aspects of wildland fire management.

UNDERSTANDING THE LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE AMONG NURSES ABOUT FIRE SAFETY IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL LAHORE

Fire safety in healthcare facilities is an important but frequently disregarded part of hospital administration and patient care. Despite substantial study on different aspects of healthcare delivery, there is still a significant gap in understanding and measuring fire safety knowledge and practices among healthcare personnel, particularly in Pakistan's tertiary care facilities. Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the degree of fire safety knowledge among medical personnel at a tertiary care hospital in Lahore, Pakistan, to identify any shortcomings that may affect their capacity to respond effectively in the event of a fire. Methods: A cross sectional quantitative descriptive study was conducted at Public Tertiary care hospital in Lahore involving 202 nurses. A customized questionnaire was administered to assess the participant’s fire safety knowledge, selected through successive sampling. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 22.0, categorizing knowledge level as poor, average and good. Results: 85% of survey participants were aware of fire response procedures. However, only 15% knew the fire department contact numbers, and 25% were unaware that foam or water extinguishers are ineffective against grease fires. Additionally, a significant proportion of participants struggled to correctly identify different types of fire extinguishers (65%) and fire categories (50%). The finding underscore the importance of comprehensive fire safety training to address significant knowledge gaps. Conclusions: Healthcare institutions should develop comprehensive fire safety training programs that extend beyond basic emergency protocols. Regular fire drills and simulations should be held to check staff members' understanding and reinforce fire safety procedures. Administrators should examine and update fire safety protocols on a regular basis to reflect new technology, legislation, and lessons learnt from previous events.

Simulating Daily Large Fire Spread Events in the Northern Front Range, Colorado, USA

Extreme spread events (ESEs), often characterized by high intensity and rapid rates of spread, can overwhelm fire suppression and emergency response capacity, threaten responder and public safety, damage landscapes and communities, and result in high socioeconomic costs and losses. Advances in remote sensing and geospatial analysis provide an improved understanding of observed ESEs and their contributing factors; however, there is a need to improve anticipatory and predictive capabilities to better prepare, mitigate, and respond. Here, leveraging individual-fire day-of-arrival raster outputs from the FSim fire modeling system, we prototype and evaluate methods for the simulation and categorization of ESEs. We describe the analysis of simulation outputs on a case study landscape in Colorado, USA, summarize daily spread event characteristics, threshold and probabilistically benchmark ESEs, spatially depict ESE potential, and describe limitations, extensions, and potential applications of this work. Simulation results generally showed strong alignment with historical patterns of daily growth and the proportion of cumulative area burned in the western US and identified hotspots of high ESE potential. Continued analysis and simulation of ESEs will likely expand the horizon of uses and grow in salience as ESEs become more common.

Geo-Fenced Aerial Fire Response System

Purpose: We aim to create a prototype of a fire extinguisher drone equipped with advanced geo-fencing technology explicitly designed for use in high-rise buildings. This drone will be capable of both ground movement and flight, allowing it to quickly navigate narrow spaces and difficult-to-reach areas. Methodology: The study involves an in-depth analysis of various drones, features, and geo-fencing to develop a prototype for precise and targeted fire suppression. The aim is to minimize the damage caused by fires and improve overall safety by enabling swift intervention, particularly in confined or elevated locations where traditional firefighting methods may face challenges. Findings: The prototype drone, equipped with geo-fencing capabilities, has demonstrated its ability to be efficiently deployed within specific, pre-defined areas, significantly improving its precision and effectiveness in targeted fire suppression. This feature ensures that the drone operates only within designated zones, reducing the risk of interference or wandering into unsafe areas. The drone is controlled remotely, allowing it to fly freely and access hard-to-reach locations quickly. A small surveillance camera mounted on the drone enhances its effectiveness by providing real-time visuals of the fire's location and intensity. This capability allows operators to assess the situation more accurately and deploy the necessary response measures, making the drone a powerful tool for modern firefighting operations. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The findings from this prototype provide valuable insights that can shape the future of fire response mechanisms and drone designs. The drones can target fires while minimizing risks to firefighting personnel, and they can potentially revolutionize emergency response strategies. The ability to remotely control drones, equipped with geo-fencing and surveillance capabilities, reduces the need for human intervention in dangerous situations and improves the speed and accuracy of fire suppression efforts. Furthermore, this technology can be applied to detect and combat wildfires, helping to minimize their destructive impact by enabling quicker detection and targeted responses in remote or difficult-to-access areas. These advancements pave the way for safer and more efficient firefighting methods in the future.

Measuring the ecological outcomes of fire: metrics to guide fire management

BackgroundChanges to fire regimes threaten biodiversity worldwide and emphasize the need to understand the ecological consequences of fire management. For fire management to effectively protect biodiversity, it is essential to have ecologicallyrelevant metrics to plan and evaluate management interventions. Here, we describe a suite of metrics to guide fire management for enhanced biodiversity outcomes.ResultsWe define five metrics that collectively provide comprehensive and complementary insights into the effect of fire regimes on ecosystem resilience and components of biodiversity. These include (1) Species Habitat Availability, a measure of the amount of suitable habitat for individual species; (2) Fire Indicator Species Index, population trends for species with clear fire responses; (3) Vegetation Resilience, a measure of plant maturity and the capability of vegetation communities to regenerate after fire; (4) Desirable Mix of Growth Stages, an indicator of the composition of post-fire age-classes across the landscape; and (5) Extent of High Severity Fire, a measure of the effect of severe fire on post-fire recovery of treed vegetation communities. Each metric can be quantified at multiple spatial and temporal scales relevant to evaluating fire management outcomes. We present a case study from Victoria, Australia, in which two metrics are applied across spatially-nested management areas. Results highlight four characteristics of metrics that enhance their value for management: (1) they quantify both status and trends through time; (2) they are scalable and can be applied consistently across management levels (from individual reserves to the whole state); (3) most can be mapped, essential for identifying where and when to implement fire management; and (4) their complementarity provides unique insights to guide fire management for ecological outcomes.ConclusionsThese metrics reflect common relationships between fire and biodiversity and are relevant to management in fire-prone ecosystems worldwide. They facilitate consistent translation of management responsibilities (planning, evaluation, reporting) across administrative levels and enable managers to strategically plan on-ground actions and transparently evaluate outcomes against strategic goals. A key next step for fire managers globally is to define “desirable” states for ecological metrics, to enable target-setting and the evaluation of management outcomes.

Transforming fire protection: AI's evolving role in proactive and reactive applications

Abstract. This paper comprehensively reviews the applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in the field of fire protection. It traces the historical development of AI, from its origins in the 1930s and 1940s to its current state, focusing on major milestones and algorithms that have shaped the field. The paper discusses the evolution of AI, particularly in terms of machine learning, deep learning, and the emergence of various models such as deep neural networks (DNNs), transformer models, and graph neural networks (GNNs). The application of AI in fire protection is explored in two primary categories: proactive and reactive applications. Proactive applications encompass AI's role in decision-making, construction, and operation, including the use of machine learning for environmental analysis, building information modelling (BIM) for design optimization, 3D printing and intelligent robots in construction, and intelligent fire facility management. Reactive applications focus on early fire detection and monitoring, especially in forests, utilizing terrestrial, aerial, and satellite systems equipped with advanced sensors and deep learning techniques. This paper highlights the significant contributions of AI in mitigating fire risks, improving fire detection and response, and enhancing the safety and efficiency of fire protection systems.

Spatial-temporal Data Model for Indoor Fire Response Considering Multi-Factors

Abstract. The complexity of high-rise building structures and functions significantly increases the challenges in emergency responses to indoor fire incidents. This complexity is due to multiple factors that must be evaluated for decision-making within the fire scenario, such as the entities within the building, the status of environment, and the actions of people. An effective and precise indoor fire emergency management model should fully take into consideration of multiple factors, aiming to ensure the safety and effectiveness of emergency response action.This paper proposes a spatial-temporal data model to integrate the entity-status-action, for designing the most suitable action strategies in various environmental status by considering all related entities in the indoor fire scenario. Firstly, a list of factors is designed to represent the scenario features including spatial location, semantic description, attribute characteristics, geometric form, evolutionary process, and the relationships among objects. Then, employs an ontology-based descriptive method to integrate multi-dimensions and effectively represents the interrelations among entities, actions, and environmental status within the context of an indoor fire scenario. These environmental status considered in the model focus on the supporting path-planning during execution of direct response actions. Finally, a set of path-planning rules has been developed to infer a series of environmental status supporting to formulate the optimal evacuation strategy to minimize the risk of evacuation failure. The case study shows that the proposed model is effective in unified expression for multitude of factors associated with emergency response in indoor fire scenario and supporting the decision-making of the emergency response actions.

Post-fire clumping of seedlings of Cape Proteaceae species: ecological, evolutionary and conservation implications

Background Spatial clumping of plants results in intense competition. Aims We analysed the extent of clumping of Proteaceae seedlings across the Cape Floristic Region after fire. Methods To demonstrate the extent of clumping in 23 species, we analysed the seedling and adult densities in 290 post-fire surveys each of 100 × 1 m2 plots using standard indices of clumping. Key results We detected clumping of Cape Proteaceae seedlings, whereas parent plants were less clumped. The clumping is not due to limited safe sites for seedlings because the number of plots at a site with at least one seedling was positively related to the number of seedlings at the site. Sites with seedlings were enriched in nutrients relative to those without. Conclusions The possible benefits of clumping are saturation of granivores and co-location of buried seeds with nutrient-rich patches of fire-derived ash and debris. A cause of clumping is seeds sticking together. Clumping, which is strongly intraspecific, has implications for trait evolution and the dominance of reseeders over resprouters. Strong clumping reduces the usefulness of the widely used seedling:parent index to determine whether fires were favourable or not. Implications Clumping has implications for understanding seed dispersal distances, seedling versus adult traits, fire responses and demography.