Smart Alarms: False alarms rank among the...
Smart Alarms: False alarms rank among the most frustrating--and at times dangerous--parts of a firefighter’s job.
Donmar Limited in Newport Beach has almost completed a prototype of a fire-detection device that discerns the nature of a fire, measures its distance and identifies its location, all within a fraction of a second. A patent is pending.
Fire detectors now in use measure ultraviolet and infrared radiation to identify a blaze. But radiation also can be emitted from sources other than fires, causing false alarms.
A month ago, Donmar was awarded a $433,000 Air Force contract to apply its device to a military fire-distinguishing system on vehicles, said Donmar owner Margaret Goedeke, whose husband, Don, and several UC Irvine researchers are developing the product.
“The concept relies on artificial intelligence,” Goedeke said. The device “can analyze and compare like a human being.”
Other military agencies are considering the device for use in aircraft engine compartments and cargo bays, Goedeke said.
The market, she said, “is mushrooming. The word of mouth is ahead of us.”
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