Fighting veld fires in the Kruger via email
By Nick Zambatis, Scientific Services In Kruger National Park Most of us are aware of the fact that there are days when the risks or likelihood of veld fires running out of control are greater than on other days. Hardly a winter goes by without such a fire occurring, often resulting in the unscheduled burning of thousands of hectares of veld or plantations, or even destroying peoples’ property. A fire danger forecast is also something we frequently see in the evening's news weather forecast on TV.
During the past year and a half, two automatic weather stations (AWS) have been established in the Kruger National Park (at Shingwedzi and Satara). The intention in acquiring these stations is to phase out the manual stations and replace them with automatic stations, as well as to provide weather information to section rangers as far as this relates to veld burning. The manual weather stations are entirely dependent on the availabilityof weather observer strained in the technicalities of weather observation. It often happens however, that due to other commitments and other manpower shortages, observations are missed.
A relatively high staff turnover also results in a discontinuity and inevitably, a drop in data quality. Furthermore, unlike an AWS, observations are only undertaken once, twice or three times per day. The marvels of modern technology make it possible to access the AWS’s remotely to download the data by means of modems and the cell-phone network. Distance is consequently not a problem, as long as there is cell-phone contact. Even before we acquired the AWS’s I realised that this equipment had the potential to provide us, and especially the section rangers, with a warning of the fire danger potential; otherwise known as Fighting veld fires via email a ‘Fire Danger Index’ or FDI.
Stated differently, an FDI gives a quantitative indication of the weather conditions that favour the development and spread of a veld-fire. The higher the FDI, the greater the danger of an uncontrollable fire developing. It is often used as a guide in a variety of fire management activities, for example to judge day to-day fire danger and preparedness for fire suppression, as an aid to prescribed burning. Calculating the FDI from certain weather parameters is easy enough. The problem is how to disseminate the information on a daily basis to all who require it. An even bigger problem is distributing the information on weekends or when the person who must send it out is otherwise unavailable.
The local suppliers of the instrumentation could only partly solve the problem and meet our needs. They stated that the software available from the manufacturers Campbell Instruments in the USA) would automatically contact the AWS’s and download data at pre selected and pre-programmed times. This though, provided little choice as far as the times at which the data was to be downloaded. The programme can download every hour, or every two, four or six hours. It is generally used in industrial applications where the information from sensors at a remote location or at industrial plants must be obtained at regular intervals, sometimes around the clock.
These choices did not suit us as the section rangers requested that they should receive the FDI at 10h00 and14h00.Our needs were consequently passed on to Campbell Instruments, whose instruments are used all over the world, ranging from the polar caps to deserts (and many other places in between). Much to our surprise, they stated that our request for ‘odd’ times of data acquisition was a world first and that they had never had such a request before! Fortunately, they were very understanding and accommodating, and modified the software according to our needs.
The software is now completely ‘open’ in that any time can now be chosen and set. A further hurdle however still had to be overcome – that of automatically disseminating the information. A locally-developed software programme (‘Weather Query’) takes the weather information and places it on a web page, where it can be viewed by anyone. Alternatively, it can be sent to persons via SMS. Neither of these two options suited us as many of the rangers do not have access to the internet, or are faced with other internet limitations. An SMS is all good and well, but in Kruger, of limited value as the cell-phone signal is restricted to within a radius of a few kilometres around each camp.
This would obviously be of no use when a ranger is far from his/her nearest cell-phone tower. I consequently asked the producers of the software if it would not be possible to modify the software so that the information could be sent by email instead. Although this has certain limitations and problems, it is the most practical and workable route to follow, at least in the KNP. An email is of no use to a ranger in the veld. For this reason, the FDIs are also sent to the regional offices, from which he/she can obtain the details via radio. There remained one more obstacle to sort out: the network’s built-in firewall and the vigilant guardian of our network who was doing his job too efficiently - MrMcAfee’s Group Shield virus protection!
This blocked the dissemination of the FDI, which is sent out as an attachment. With the kind assistance of Danie Pretorius at head office and the Data Centrix people, this problem was eventually also resolved. The system now works as follows: Every day, at just after 10h00and 14h00, the AWS’s are contacted by my computer via a cellphone modem and the data downloaded. The second programme then takes over part of the data, compiles the FDI, and then sends it out to a list of email addresses. In addition to the FDI itself, additional weather information, important in a fire situation, is also provided.
This includes air temperature and relative humidity, wind direction and speed (average and gust speed) and rainfall amount during the past 24 hours and 21 days. As far as I know, the automatic dissemination of FDI and weather information via email is also a first for the country. At this stage, the FDI is primarily only sent to persons inside the KNP (mainly section rangers), the defence forces, the police, regional managers, and a few others. It is planned to expand the list of recipients in the future so that the Lowveld and Escarpment Fire Protection Association also receives the information, though in return, we would like to receive forecasts from them – something which we are not capable of doing.
Once the conservation areas outside of Kruger have organised themselves into local fire protection associations, the information can also be passed on to them. It is unlikely though, that this will be totally cost-free as costs are incurred in the form of daily cellphone calls, as well as annual checking and calibration of the equipment, and the occasional replacement of a sensor. Even so, costs should be reasonable. It is also the intention to pass the information to some of the SABC radio stations broadcasting to the local communities in the lowveld. Via radio, the information can potentially reach thousands of people next to the KNP every day.
This will be both to their advantage and to the KNP’s – at the end of the day, an enhanced awareness of fire danger and safety is the ultimate aim. Ideally, we should be using at least four automatic weather stations for the FDI, so we would like to expand the network in the future and add a few more automatic stations.
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