Canada's climate is changing. Wildfire seasons are beginning earlier and lasting longer. In a 2019 survey, recent seasons are beginning an average of 9 days earlier and lasting 7 days longer. Additionally, this marked shift is categorized by exponentially larger and higher-intensity fires.
In 2023, the Western provinces of British Columbia and Alberta set a predictive joint deficit for wildfires at $5.4 billion. The same year British Columbian's witnessed the destruction of 2.5 million hectares--outnumbering previous records by more than a million hectares. Climatic factors of this devastating year, including an average increase of surface temperature from May-June of 8.11°C, alongside lowered humidity and precipitation, intensified fuel load dryness and escalated the potentiality for wildfire events.
Our solution is simple: continuous monitoring combined with ultra-early detection. Lucky for us, Mother Nature leaves a myriad of environmental indicators which attribute to the detection and breakpoint of fires.
Observable trends in moisture deficit—arising from temperature and precipitation levels—help us assess for wildfire risk. These environmental factors, including temperature, pressure, and humidity are referred to as ‘top-down controls’ and are easily monitored with sensors.
Conversely, ‘bottom-up controls’ denote topographical changes that attribute to fire activity. This includes past wildfires, insect outbreaks, and land use practices (e.g., logging, agriculture, grazing, and urban development). When combining both of these controls together, management with the right technology, alongside strategic application, allows for effective mitigative practices within critical zones.
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Continuous monitoring of ‘top-down controls’ allows our sensors to quickly identify a wide array of environmental anomalies indicative of early-stage wildfires. These include volatile organic compounds (VOCs), volatile sulphuric compounds (VSCs), and other gases associated early stage fires, while other environmental factors including temperature, pressure, humidity, and air quality are also closely and continuously monitored. In sum: we provide the fastest and most reliable mode of catching wildfires before they grow and spread.
As shown above, using Selkirk Sensors catches fire activity in the earliest stages before it has spread into open flame. Unlike photographic technology, our extremely sensitive sensors allow first responders to quickly mitigate fire damage, saving valuable resources, lives, and the environment.
Source: Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre. 2023 Fire Season Report.
For the latest wildfire forecast, click here.
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