New possibilities in fire protection When it comes to emerging technologies and […]
New possibilities in fire protection
When it comes to emerging technologies and human behaviour, the built environment in Finland is facing new challenges. Accidents and hazardous situations happen to citizens in all age groups.
The challenges of the evolving technological environment impact every level of the population in various ways. Changes in the demographic and the environment significantly impact the safety environment as well. Fire protection technology must correspondingly keep abreast of the development.
Moreover, it must be possible to improve fire protection. It is important to study new trends that may impact the development of fire safety in Finland.
The utilisation of smart and IoT (Internet of Things) technology provides good opportunities for improvements in safe living. One must always remember that, when new technology is developed and introduced, we must also monitor and observe ourselves as well as things in our surroundings. It is important to understand the ecosystem within which we operate, the information we process or the information we replicate over networks.
The history of the IoT is still fairly short even from a global perspective. While the first individual web management solutions were in use as early as the 1990s, the real development in the IoT sphere has taken place during this century. This has been made possible by, among other things, the rapid development of web-based solutions and data transmission.
The IoT, system integration and other proactive action play key roles within the transformation of fire protection. It is all about new possibilities.
Many old-fashioned attitudes regarding fire protection can be seen in the domestic construction business.
The master’s thesis of Tuomas Pylkkänen brings forward the fact that, while new possibilities are regarded as enablers in the construction business, new technology is simultaneously shunned. Obstacles to introducing new modes of implementation are often justified with old, recurring arguments. They point the finger at the functional unreliability of new technology and the lack of harmonised practices. Fears alsoinclude unnecessary extra costs in implementation and maintenability, and the realisation of otheradditional business risks.
Pragmatic thinking about building sites is often fairly short-sighted. Hence, it becomes impossible to realistically take into account the economic potential and lifecycle effects of fire protection technology.
For a long time already, the prevailing attitude has been that installed fire protection technology only returns value for money when it extinguishes or limits an actual fire. However, financial savings, both indirect and direct, are quite significant when the devices operate as planned. In reality, automatic smoke detection and fire extinguishing systems are in constant readiness, safeguarding business continuity and personal security at the site. Then, the equipment acts as a supporting pillar for business continuity.
Furthermore, it has been observed that end users and occupants are interested in improving their safety, so long as information is available and when the prospects for making a difference can be identified. Now, and in the near future, it must be possible to increasingly evaluate how to get relevant information to those that need it.
Technology’s advancement will not wait and the need for uniform statutes and practices has been identified. Smart buildings and homes will proliferate and develop, regardless of the outdated attitudes within the construction field.
One can only hope that this sector of business, at large, will soon realise that finally, along with the development of other technology, new practices have created the implementations of building automation that are also suitable for fire safety.
Therefore, expert inputs must be conveyed in order to disseminate information and change attitudes. Now is the perfect time to find out how much our present technology meets our perception of the future.
Technologies already in use can offer new possibilities for solving challenges in the near future. Even though uniform standards are desired, and common practices in the new networked environments are still being worked out, this has not hindered the introduction of new IoT solutions, globally.
The risks associated with introducing new innovations are continually diminishing along with the new, developing technologies. The solutions which, in firefighting, pop up as new alternatives may not necessarily constitute new inventions in other automation, only the applications for which they are used have changed.
For this reason, development must in any case be monitored so that experts can continue to meet future challenges. Charting the present situation and also comparing it with what is going on abroad will set the proper base for the needed development and information-gathering. This is how we can provide up-to-date responses to the needs that arise at home.
Change is opportunity
The new Strategy of the Finnish National Rescue Association, which was adopted in the spring of 2018, presents similar questions about the need for experts’ action as does Tuomas Pylkkänen’s master’s thesis.
It is important to evaluate the developing environment and anticipate its challenges. The only permanent thing is change, and change is also an opportunity.
New technologies and web connectivity with automated systems open up new prospects for the development of cost-effective everyday living. New technological solutions can also improve fire safety in dwellings as well as proactive fire prevention. Everyone encounters accidents and hazards. Also the challenges of the technological environment impact everyone in different ways.
Changes in the demographic and the built environment significantly impact the safety environment as well. How will it be possible to utilise new technologies in developing the fire safety of buildings, now and in the future?
The information compiled by the master’s thesis will help experts create a comprehensive picture of the evolving safety environment and utilise the information in advancing the vision of the Strategy. Safe living must be increasingly taken into consideration when decisions are taken on a person’s living conditions; this often applies to the elderly. Safety must be supported in novel, alternative ways, which the what new technological solutions offer.
Human–technology interaction will also continue in the future, which is why the basic premises will not substantially change. The focus will remain on the human.
This being the case, fire protection must be viewed from a wider perspective, one in which the assessment of human behaviour and other technological solutions may develop proactive fire safety. System control is already web-based and remote when it comes to fire safety systems. System control is already web-based and remote when it comes to fire safety systems. As the processing power of systems increases personal data and devices must remain safe and easy to access in the future as well.
New environments also create the opportunity for making the implementation of fire protection technology more cost-effective. Even today there are strong opinions and attitudes which are no longer relevant to modern fire protection technologies.
One of the findings of the master’s thesis which can be highlighted is the fact that the construction business is old-fashioned and that there is plenty of room for modernisation. Of course, at the same time it must be noted that the only problem is not simply that consultants and designers, in addition to property developers, noteably need more information about the rapidly advancing system technology.
Increasing attention must be paid to advancing the field of experts . Answers should be sought early on to the following questions: what are the sectors of competency that experts must influence, and how should communications and education be developed. Information must be offered to all who need it in the area of fire protection.
It is particularly important to provide it to the end users, i.e. occupants, so that they will properly understand the importance of networked devices and the issue itself. Whereas possibilities for also improving attitudes within the ongoing development do exist, the experts must focus more on the future to raise the new technological alternatives and proactive fire safety to the forefront.
As said before, it is very important to improve the international exchange of information and to also search for comparisons from different countries’ implementation cultures. The basic material from the Nordic countries that the master’s thesis compiles will set a good foundation for follow-on reports. The world will always be changing, and this is also evident in fire protection. New technological options such as the IoT can be categorised as opportunities at this stage.
In order for this to be properly understood, more research is needed so as to influence attitudes and to prevent our own approaches from becoming obstacles to progress. It is also important to establish the solutions which will bring the needed benefits to occupants and property developers so that fire safety will be seen as important. More importantly, these views must coincide.
Lauri Lehto
Safety and Security Advisor
The Finnish National Rescue Association, SPEK
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