Institute of Disaster Management

Introduction: This paper describes a new technology, making the process of aerial firefighting more effective. Instant foam technology based on adopted patent, called Foam Fatal, used by petrol industry. Methodology: Before starting the project prepared a study which is focused the economic efficiency of aerial firefighting. This study says that the effectiveness of aerial firefighting using just pure water is very limited but there are possibilities for extending this effectiveness. Instant foam technology can use any traditional foam solution in a special tank installed on board and this liquid emitted in the required place by pressure. Whit this process the quality of the created foam become very homogeneous and some feature also can be modified during the process. Results and discussion: No doubt, in the market there are already some special water tanks, even with pressured systems, however the results comparing the extended efficiency of the instant foam technology to the others is notable. Moreover, instant foam technology is even cost effective, making the process of aerial firefighting real effective.

Introduction: This paper describes many initiatives and shows also practical examples which have happened using Unmanned Aerial Systems to support fire managers in different ways. Since the operation of manned aircraft at forest fires is usually expensive, in many cases managers miss the aerial activity even for reconnaissance however that would be required for the effective intervention. Today more and more experts say Unmanned Aerial Systems can give real alternatives for aerial reconnaissance even if this application is far from manager's mentality yet. Methods: Author used thematic division of Unmanned Aerial Systems applications; it is based on two key elements, one of them is the time flow of fighting forest fires, the other is its tactical requirements. Research used mainly author's own experiences in this field, accompanied by function analysis, practical experiments, economic analysis and also expert estimation. Results and discussion: Logically Unmanned Aerial Systems can be used before fire for hot spot detection, before starting the intervention for fire reconnaissance, during the intervention for intervention monitoring and after suppression for post fire monitoring. The method of prescribed fire can also be in the focus of Unmanned Aerial Systems use as a special application for fire prevention.

Introduction: Aerial firefighting is very expensive solution; therefore it isn't useless to study it by the criteria of efficiency. But the meaning of efficiency for fire managers can be different from the meaning of efficiency for economists. Economic efficiency is stricter than technical efficiency. Method: this research created and used rectangular and concentric circles models, than made transport analysis and rate calculation. Results and discussion: The rectangular model shows the criteria of economic efficiency of aerial firefighting. The results from rectangular model can be transferred also to the concentric circles model. Based on the concentric circle model we can define both the economic efficiency of aerial firefighting and minimal criteria of successful suppression expressed by the elementary information we have regarding the actual fire. This paper points also at some principle mistakes often made by marketing to overrate the advantages of some aerial products, agents or procedures. Even if it is very difficult to take into consideration all circumstances and assumptions which are found during firefighting process but there are some theories that can help us to assess the economical effectiveness of aerial product, agent or procedure more precisely than rated nowadays by the marketing.

Introduction: As well-known, aerial firefighting is an effective solution suppressing forest fire, however there is no doubt, this tool in many cases can be the only one effective solution, even if it is very expensive. Following the above idea, any new method that is able to reduce the cost of aerial means supporting forest fire management, is worth examining as a new aerial solution. Methods: This article used practical experiments of the aerial firefighting, created a graphics model to understand the logistic problem, made assumptions to concentrate on the key problems and with mathematical backgrounds some logistic functions meaning distance and capacity axes. Results and discussion: The effectiveness of air tankers depends on the distance between the fire zone and water resource. The shorter the distance is between them, the higher the effectiveness is using aerials. This relation can be shown even at a function; however the change is not linear. The rate of the curve depends on the distance, larger distance means smaller change and vice versa, shorter distance means bigger scale of change. This result gives the tipping point where the higher costs of suggested solutionaerial water supply systemwill be balanced by the higher amount of bombed water.

Introduction: One of the key elements of the cheap but effective fire suppression is early fire detection and quick initial response. There are many ways of fire detection; in many cases taking an overview of the effectiveness is not useless. Methods: Firstly paper shows the basic principles of the economical effectiveness of the fire management. Afterwards, research turns to the different dimensions and basically counts with aerial flight patrol. Looking at the monitored forest as a flat area gives a 2 dimension analysis but as an articulated area gives a 3 dimension analysis. If research counts with the time scale, meaning the way weather condition changes, it gives a 4 dimension analysis. Results and discussion: Research says in the 2 dimension model the aerial flight patrol cannot be effective, a tower based fire detection system is required. In case of 3 dimensions model the balance between the methods of aerial flight patrol or the tower based fire detection system depends on feature and rate of the area articulation. The 4 dimensions analysis says that the balance between the methods of aerial flight patrol or the tower based fire detection system can correlate to the fire weather index.

Introduction: Aerial firefighting is a very expensive solution; however bombing just pure water is not always enough to suppress the fires. In many cases retardants or special agents are added to water to increase efficiency, wetting it or creating foam. Methods: This research used dried pine wood pieces as samples. Samples were divided into different groups: not treated samples for giving the reference data or treated samples to ensure data for calculating the isolation effect of foam. During the experiment with a randomly chosen foam agent product a 3% foam solution was mixed. From this solution 6-9-12 expansion rate foams were generated. Samples were also provided with a metal ring to ensure the exact depth of water or foam blanket. Each sample was put in a special heat oven which ensured the permanent 35 kWm-2 heat fluxes and measured the different ignition time. Results and discussion: Experiment demonstrated that the ignition times in case of foams are longer than in case of same equivalent pure water. The longer ignition time of foams can be expressed by the pure water amount. Results say that the maximum rate of isolation effect in value of water equivalent is more than 2.3 but always significantly more than just pure water.

Introduction: The effectiveness of the foams used in fighting against forest fire depends on common effect of some coefficients. Cooling and isolation effects as main extinguishing effects as well as side extinguishing effects, like evaporation, blanket and separation effects are also included. Under the same conditions, the more extinguisher remains on the surface, the more extinguishing effect it has. Methods: A product for the test was randomly chosen out of the ones on the market. Spruce was chosen for the test due to its high flammability. The goal was to determine the amount of extinguisher at the end of the branches in the foliage. Groups of the same size were created in the selected foliage. To start with, the weight of the untreated foliage was measured, followed by the groups of foliage dipped in water and foaming agents. Results and discussion: According to the findings of research, the amount of foam remaining on the foliage is remarkably higher than that of water. Its rate is 3.36-3.76 compared to water. The research also revealed that this rate does not significantly depend on expansion rate. As a result, the fire intensity which can be extinguished by using foams expands as well.

Introduction: Besides the military and commercial applications of drones, there is no doubt in their efficiency in case of supporting emergency management. This paper evaluates some experiences and describes some initiatives using drones to support disaster management. Method: This paper focuses mainly on operational and tactical drone application in disaster management using a time-scaled separation of the application, like pre-disaster activity, activity immediately after the occurrence of a disaster and the activity after the primary disaster elimination. Paper faces to 5 disasters, like nuclear accidents, dangerous material releases, floods, earthquakes and forest fires. Author gathered international examples and used own experiences in this field. Results and discussion: An earthquake is a rapid escalating disaster, where, many times, there is no other way for a rapid damage assessment than aerial reconnaissance. For special rescue teams, the drone application can help much in a rapid location selection, where enough place remained to survive for victims. Floods are typical for a slow onset disaster. In contrast, managing floods is a very complex and difficult task. It requires continuous monitoring of dykes, flooded and threatened areas. Drone can help managers largely keeping an area under observation. Forest fires are disasters, where the tactical application of drone is already well developed. Drone can be used for fire detection, intervention monitoring and also for post-fire monitoring. In case of nuclear accident or hazardous material leakage drone is also a very effective or can be the only one tool for supporting disaster management.

Introduction: This article describes some possibilities of drone applications for preventing and responding hazardous materials disasters. Methods: Apart from reviewing the little professional literature available, the author relied on his own practical experience and adopted other researchers' related findings. He also applied logical reasoning, systematization as well as adopting an economic approach-to assess efficiency. Results: There are two basic possibilities for the use of drones in the field of chemical disasters: one is for prevention to support the work of authorities, while the other is connected to the response to accidents or disasters. To summarize the research findings, the author explored the typical possibilities for use, illustrating with actual examples to prove their usefulness, identified certain risks and made recommendations on further researches.

Introduction: Disaster management can face to emergency situation without any pre-sign and even if it has forecast they can meet the requirements of improvisation making their decision. Improvisation can be taken at any level of the management (strategic, operational and tactical) but at tactical level the time press is certainly the biggest problem. This article focuses on tactical level and shows some method to compensate time press. Method: Author studied relevant literatures and used own experience as a firefighting manager. Other studies made by the author previously were also used. Results: Without time press disaster managers can use analytical thinking but in case of time press they must prefer critical thinking, satisfactory procedures or management by exceptions but creativity and heuristics are also used in their decision. Author created a complex model of decision making in emergency: building on practical experience the above mechanisms together with the internal triggers hold as pillars the recognition-primed decisions on which locate the principals of disaster management.

Introduction: Climate change causes more articulated weather conditions: at some places experts count with more droughts while at other places with more floods. Even if features of droughts and floods are total different from each other both of them belongs to water related disaster: in case of drought amount of water is below required while in case of flood amount of water is too much. Drought and flood mean end positions of the water amount scale. Other part drones are around us: more and more applications can be seen almost all part of our life. Therefore it is very important to gather examples and finding possibilities to support water related disasters. Method: This article focuses mainly on author's own practices and experiences using drone however practices and experiences made by others were also adapted to the results of the study as well as the examples wrote in the relevant literatures. Results: On the time scale there are three different options for using drone to support water related disaster management. Before floods drone can take river bed surveys as a kind of preventive application. During flood drone can support decision makers with the "eagle eye" view of the flooded area providing objective and relevant information. After disaster experts can use drones for mapping or remapping the affected area for making quick assessment about damages caused by the flood. In case of forest fire we can also use the above approach however in this article the flood examples of drone applications are dominated.

Heat release capacity is known as a combination of the thermal stability and combustion properties, which can be used to classify the flammability of materials. It can be derived from microscale combustion calorimeter test results or from additive molar group contributions. PMMA and two kinds of extruded polystyrene were tests by microscale combustion calorimeter with 9 heating rates. Heat release capacity was calculated for the tested materials by 5 algorithms from the literatures. Adaptability of these 5 algorithms was evaluated in this paper.

The purpose of the path planning optimization is to find the most favorable route between starting and arrival points based on defined criteria and target functions. The change in the characteristics of each route becomes complicated when there is an increase in the number of intermediate points. This study predominately analyses the monitoring of a limited area. The author demonstrates how the path of the autonomous systems will change in different conditions and further introduces the possibility of using mobile remote sensing systems. The test is performed firstly in 2D flat area, then 3D spaces, and then-taking a forest fire as an example-the ideal conditions changed to reality. The study reveals findings on efficiency, based both on professional and economic considerations. The utilization of remote sensing technologies was found to optimize the observation of the given area generating new problems, such as what is the size of the monitored area at a given moment and how can we increase it for the higher effectiveness. An increase in the size of the monitored area results into an efficient and functional autonomous system albeit generating a shorter and modified path. Mobile autonomous systems therefore can be replaced by stable systems; simultaneously under real conditions, they can be more efficient than stable ones.

Introduction: Disaster management can face to emergency situation without any pre-sign and even if it has forecast they can meet the requirements of improvisation making their decision. Improvisation can be taken at any level of the management (strategic, operational and tactical) but at tactical level the time press is certainly the biggest problem. This article focuses on tactical level and shows some method to compensate time press. Method: Author studied relevant literatures and used own ex-perience as a firefighting manager. Other studies made by the author previously were also used. Results: Without time press disaster managers can use analytical thinking but in case of time press they must prefer critical thinking, satisfactory procedures or management by exceptions but creativity and heuristics are also used in their decision. Author created a complex model of decision making in emergency: building on prac-tical experience the above mechanisms together with the internal trig...

Introduction: The effectiveness of the foams used in fighting against forest fire depends on common effect of some coefficients. Cooling and isolation effects as well as side extinguishing effects, like evaporation, blanket and separation effects are also included. Under the same conditions, the more extinguisher remains on the surface, the more extinguishing effect it has. Methods: A product for the test was randomly chosen out of the ones on the market. Spruce was chosen for the test due to its high flammability. The goal was to determine the amount of extinguisher at the end of the branches in the foliage. Results: The amount of foam remaining on the foliage is remarkably higher than that of water. Its rate is 3.36-3.76 compared to water. The research also revealed that this rate does not significantly depend on expansion rate.

Introduction: Aerial firefighting is known to be a very costly firefighting technique, which encourages professionals to investigate its effectiveness and to be aware of the influential factors as well as to strive to find a way to reduce costs and increase efficiency prior to making a decision. Method: examination is basically based on mathematical calculations, comparative analyses and proportioning. Simple charts, matrixes and graphs help to evaluate the findings and to explain and illustrate the relationship between them. Among the research methods, logical deductions and the application of practical experience can be found. Results: the research introduces a new method of examining the effectiveness of aerial firefighting, which helps to conduct analyses and comparisons based on real data. This method contributes to a better understanding of key factors affecting effectiveness, gives guidance on the possible ways to increase effectiveness, their potentials and limitations.

Introduction: Aerial firefighting is known to be a very costly firefighting technique, which encourages professionals to investigate its effectiveness and to be aware of the influential factors as well as to strive to find a way to reduce costs and increase efficiency prior to making a decision. Method: examination is basically based on mathematical calculations, comparative analyses and proportioning. Simple charts and graphs help to evaluate the findings and to explain and illustrate the relationship between them. Among the research methods, logical deductions and the application of practical experience can be found. Results: the research introduces a new method of examining the effectiveness of aerial firefighting, which helps to conduct analyses and comparisons based on real data. This method contributes to a better understanding of key factors affecting effectiveness, gives guidance on the possible ways to increase effectiveness, their potentials and limitations.