IQ FireWatch protects North Rhine-Westfalia in Germany
Together with Minister Silke Gorißen and Forstry Office Manager Julian Mauerhof, we had the pleasure of opening the wildfire control center in Wesel, where the smoke alarms from the eight IQ FireWatch sensor locations are verified in real time. NRW is already the 7th German federal state with our tried and tested automated early wildfire detection system! Our high-tech sensor systems monitor endangered areas on the Dutch border on the Lower Rhine and detect smoke development up to a distance of over 40 km. The system, which has been tried and tested worldwide for over 20 years, closes the gap between prevention and control. To protect people, the nature and property.
Exclusive insights into the IQ FireWatch technology at the VDI webinar
20 years of operation in Saxony (GER)
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of IQ FireWatch in Saxony (GER), we were invited to the Hoyerswerda regional control centre.
The implementation of our automated forest fire early detection system two decades ago has led to significant improvements in Saxony's response time to forest fires. This achievement is attributed to the effective collaboration between high-tech solutions and the expertise of the fire service personnel, resulting in a drastic reduction of damages caused by forest fires.Early start to the Northern Hemisphere wildfire season
Wildfire season has begun in the northern hemisphere! While it is fortunately still very quiet in Germany, the situation is worsening worldwide - especially in regions of Canada. Some fires there were not contained over the winter, and the drought brought an early start to the wildfire season.
Guest lecture at TU Dresden
Half-day guest lecture at one of the oldest forestry educational institutions in the world, the #Tharandt department of forest sciences, part of the TU Dresden!
Our CEO Dr. Kurt Winter had the pleasure to explain the core areas and methods of effective early wildfire detection to the budding forestry scientists. The focus was on the backbone of forest fire mitigation, the Automated Early Wildfire Detection, our proven IQ FireWatch system, which has been successfully used in Germany for more than 20 years.
Many thanks to Prof. Dr. Michael Müller for inviting us to share our practical knowledge and to the students for their great interest!
IQ FireWatch successful at the Grüne Woche 2024!
IQ FireWatch had a successful start at the Grüne Woche 2024! We met many new and familiar faces at the Deutscher Forstwirtschaftsrat e.V. (DFWR) booth. We had the pleasure of presenting the key features of early wildfire detection and our unique automated early detection system to renowned forestry experts and many more interested visitors from the industry.
The Grüne Woche was an excellent opportunity to further emphasise our commitment to forest protection and the importance of forest fire prevention.
We would like to thank everyone for the valuable discussions and look forward to many more to come!
SEASON'S GREETINGS FROM IQ FIREWATCH
We take this opportunity to thank you for your trust in our work. We look forward to another year of collaboration.
May your Christmas be surrounded by warmth and love. We thank you for your trust and look forward to discovering new horizons together with you in the coming year.
The entire IQ FireWatch team wishes you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a happy new year.
Warm regards and sincere thanks,
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Your IQ FireWatch Team
IQ FireWatch in the Netherlands
Thank you to everyone who visited our partner's booth at the Brandweer event 23 in Rosmalen, the Netherlands!
Forest fire record in Brandenburg: 2022 the second most fires in 20 years
In 2022, more than 500 forest fires occurred in Brandenburg, the second highest number in the 20-year history of automated forest fire early detection. According to the forest fire statistics of the Brandenburg Ministry of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection, only nine of these fires were larger than 10 hectares (1.8%) and only four fires were larger than 100 hectares (0.8%). The recent large fires in Jüterbog (Brandenburg) and Lübtheen (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania) and more were detected early by the IQ FireWatch system. The wide spread of the fires is due to the presence of ammunition contamination in the affected areas. Ground-based fire-fighting operations are limited due to the high risk to emergency services.
Despite the enormous danger posed by each individual fire, it can be said that the entire chain of measures from forest fire prevention to forest fire fighting is very advanced and efficient, with early detection as the connecting element. Germany, and Brandenburg in particular, are therefore a role model for many forest fire-prone regions around the world.
More information about the forest fire statistics 2022 can be found here. (GER)
Visit from the European Parliament
We were very pleased to welcome Ms. Hildegard Bentele, Member of the European Parliament, to our company and to present our business areas to her.
During her visit, we had the pleasure of demonstrating our extensive expertise in the early detection of forest fires. Ms. Bentele is passionate about climate and environmental protection, as well as innovative technologies at European level and showed great interest in our long-standing expertise in early forest fire detection.
We are confident that this will initiate pan-European measures.
IQ FireWatch visits Argentina
Dr. Kurt Winter, CEO, and Thomas Fiessler, the Head of Sales, embarked on a journey to our partner in Argentina to personally witness the on-site performance of the IQ FireWatch systems that have been in operation for two years.The aim was to evaluate the systems and discuss future development plans. During their stay, they had the honour of meeting the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Environment Sergio Federovisky, the Economic Attaché Peter Neven as well as the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy, Matías Tombolini.
A highlight of the programme was the visit to the systems installed in the Paraná Delta. The systems already installed play an important role in protecting the Predelta National Park and other areas along the Rio Paraná.
We are excited to be able to make a valuable contribution to the implementation of the fire protection concept in Argentina by providing further IQ FireWatch systems.
IQ FireWatch ranked best forest fire early detection system in international comparison
During the 2022 wildfire season, IQ FireWatch, along with five other international vendors, participated in an international comparison of terrestrial optical wildfire early detection systems, the Alberta Wildfire Challenge, in Canada. The challenge was scientifically monitored on-site.
IQ FireWatch – 20 years of protecting people, nature, and property
In 2003, the first automated early wildfire detection system was put into service in Brandenburg, Germany. Since then, IQ FireWatch has become the backbone of early wildfire detection in Germany, and on four continents across the globe – Innovation Made in Germany.
Another IQ FireWatch system installed in Chile
Chile is once again battling severe forest fires that are causing major damage to the ecosystem. But one region will be even better prepared against forest fires in the future. In addition to systems further south in Chile, an IQ Firewatch is being installed in the metropolitan region. The market-leading IQ FireWatch forest fire early detection system will be operational by the end of January and will help protect the communities of Maipú, Pudahuel, Padre Hurtado, Curacaví and María Pinto. This project is being carried out by the University of Chile, CONAF and Sermi de Medio Ambiete.
During the presentation of IQ FireWatch, Minister of Agriculture Esteban Valenzuela said that they need to do everything possible to prevent environmental disasters such as fires. Therefore, they would like to congratulate the University of Chile and the Seremi de Medio Ambiente de la RM, who have managed to implement this pilot project, which is being carried out in three regions.
CLIMATEC PARTNERS WITH IQ FIREWATCH TO BRING GROUNDBREAKING TECHNOLOGY TO THE US
PHOENIX – November 8, 2022 – Early detection of wildfires is critical for reducing their impact and protecting communities. Climatec, LLC has partnered with IQ Technologies for Earth and Space GmbH to bring their early wildfire detection system IQ FireWatch to communities across the US. Climatec will be the turnkey service provider of the advanced multi-spectral sensing technology IQ FireWatch which is uniquely based on a combination of AI- and feature-based algorithms.
Forest fire statistics 2021 : Improvement through technical measurements
Even if it' s hard to imagine due to the countless forest fires holding Europe's breath this year, the German forest fire statistics for the previous year show a continuing positive trend.The area of damage per forest fire was less than half the annual average since 1991. This development is attributed by the responsible German state organizations to the extensive technical forest fire protection measures. IQ FireWatch, which is currently in operation in six German states, plays an essential role in these measures.
Highest forest fire risk level in Brandenburg
In Brandenburg, the risk of forest fires has once again risen to the highest level. Here, our IQ FireWatch system has been used for more than 20 years for the early detection of forest fires and is constantly being improved. Thanks to the system and its fast detection, many fires are kept small, as the forest protection officer Rainmund Engel in Bradenburg says in the video below.
The following video shows an insight into the work of the forest fire center in Wünsdorf. The forest protection officer for Brandenburg explains the steps that are implemented after a smoke report arrives in order to locate and fight potential fires as quickly as possible.
More forest fire reports in Niedersachsen than ever before
Currently, new fires occur every day in Niedersachsen, causing major challenges for the local authorities. 440 hectares of forest are under constant observation here by our long-tested system, which is essential to prevent devastating forest fires. Helmut Beuke, forest fire officer for the state of Niedersachsen, reports that by end of June, there have never been so many fires detected as in this year 2022.
The high temperatures, lack of precipitation and the resulting dry forests are a major problem.
You can learn more about the forest fire situation in the following video clip:
FOREST FIRE PREVENTION IN SACHSEN
To prevent forest fires, Sachsen also protects its forests with our IQ FireWatch system, which is installed on top of old fire watch towers. The systems monitors 360 degrees of its surroundings in just a few minutes to prevent disasters.
The following video shows a small insight of the forest fire center in Hoyerswerda, and explains how the different sensors of our system are helpful in the evaluation of fires.
Watch the video from minute 17:51 (German video):
Protecting Berlin and its surroundings
Even urban areas are not safe from forest fires. That is why our IQ FireWatch system was installed on the Müggelberge in Berlin, Germany to protect the urban forest as well as the Wildland-Urban Interface and especially the people living there, from fires.
More about our system and a picture of a detection of a small fire can be found here (German article):
Part of the best forest fire monitoring in the world
"We have the best forest fire monitoring in the world," says Prof. Müller from the Technical University of Dresden during a report from Central Germany about the ongoing drought that is affecting some German states. This monitoring includes our IQ FireWatch system, which detects rising smoke within minutes and enables precise localization of the developing fire. According to Philipp Nahrstedt, head of the Annaburg forestry office, it means five times the amount of water and material needed on site if a forest fire is not detected for one hour, which is why these measures are so important.
We hope that with the help of these efforts the area will be protected from further devastating fires.
IQ FireWatch system modernized in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany
The German state of Saxony-Anhalt has extensively modernized its IQ FireWatch system in recent years, which is paying off considering the increasing number of forest fires in this high-risk area. In the following video clip, the forestry manager of Annaburg explains how the use of state-of-the-art IQ FireWatch technology with artificial intelligence has resulted in efficiency gains of 90%.
Find out more in the following video (German):
Meet us @ ERIC 2022
Join us in Twenthe (The Netherlands) at ERIC, the exhibition for disaster control, incident and crisis management on May 18 & 19, 2022. Our Head of Sales, Thomas Fiessler will attend. Stop by at booth #E96 and experience our unique sensor unit as well as our recently introduced Easy Operating in a live demonstration.
Get in touch to arrange a meeting with Thomas:
IQ FireWatch installed in the City of Redding (CA, USA)
"The system helps me sleep at night", the Electric Utility Director for the City of Redding, California, says about our IQ FireWatch system installed in the city. Because California has large areas of forest as well as many wildland urban interfaces (WUI) that are affected by severe wildfires every year, cities also need special protection.
To ensure the protection of lives, property and forests during day and night, the city chose our system as part of its Wildfire Mitigation Plan.
Watch the video below to learn more about the use of our automatic early fire detection system.
In addition, the program supervisor for Redding Electric Utility, Shawn Avery, explains how the IQ FireWatch system works and where it came from in the following podcast. It also shows how proud he is that the City of Redding is one of the first cities in the country to use the IQ FireWatch technology for early fire detection.
Early fire detection pays off
While the start of the forest fire season is causing tension in many places in the northern hemisphere, we want to show you an example of a forest fire in Germany that demonstrates how important the use of an early smoke detection system is.
A forest fire that occurred in Lower Saxony, Germany, was detected within minutes by one of our systems installed there, enabling the fire to be brought under control before a surveillance aircraft from the local fire department passed by. This can be seen from the white clouds on the first image in the video below, which indicate the high water content in the smoke.
According to the Lower Saxony foresters, the trees at the site of the fire were not damaged thanks to the early smoke detection by IQ FireWatch (second image in the video below).
© Niedersächsische Landesforsten / Helmut Beuke
New operating office in Annaburg (Germany)
A new forest fire monitoring center has been opened in Annaburg in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. This combines all previous monitoring centers of the federal state at one central point. In addition, the new center will also provide cross-state monitoring.
The IQ FireWatch system on the 15 towers has been extensively modernized in recent years, which is why it is possible for the employees of the forest fire center to monitor even more area using state-of-the-art technology. This means that large forest fires can be prevented in the best possible way in one of the two German states with the statistically highest forest fire risk in Central Europe.
Protecting one of the most famous wine-growing regions in the world
It is one of the most famous wine-growing regions in the world: Atlas Peak in Napa Valley, California. In total, three IQ FireWatch systems protect the region's hilly forests and vineyards. Since wine gets better the older the vines, the more important is the careful protection of these vines.
The following video illustrates the necessity of these measures in this fire-prone region and briefly explains our system:
Argentina takes care
Parts of the Paranà Delta including a port and an urban campsite in the northeast of Buenos Aires, Argentina, will be protected by our early fire detection system. The goal of the Argentine Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development is to be able to respond quickly and in a coordinated way to fires. Our system is one of the measures that will ensure sustainable development of the Delta.
Watch the video about the operation of IQ FireWatch in this impressive landscape:
Merry Christmas and a happy New Year 2022
At the end of the year we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the pleasant cooperation and the trust you have placed in our products and services over the past years.
We hope our products will continue to impress you and we look forward to working with you over the year to come. We wish you a happy holiday season with your family and friends and a healthy and prosperous New Year.
Your IQ FireWatch Team
Forest Fire Statistics Germany 2020
FOREST FIRE STATISTICS (German version only)
Modernized Wood Fire Control Station with IQ FireWatch
Modern Wildfire Management with IQ FireWatch can be admired in the forest fire control center south of the Landesbetrieb Forst Brandenburg. In Wünsdorf, the first of two modernized stations for the Brandenburg South area went into operation before the start of the "forest fire season". The second wildfire control centre in Eberwalde is to follow in spring 2021. A total of 4.2 million euros from the EU agricultural fund EAFRD were invested in the modernisation.
106 high-precision sensors from IQ FireWatch monitor the Brandenburg forest. In conjunction with the software, this system detects every cloud of smoke at an early stage and immediately sounds the alarm. If the trained employees classify the smoke as a forest fire, the exact location is immediately transmitted to the nearest fire department's control center.
What used to be done by 10 employees on fire watch towers is now done by one person alone. Thanks to the modern forest fire monitoring system from IQ FireWatch!
We are here for you in the Corona crisis
Dear business partners and interested parties,
the Corona crisis poses unprecedented challenges for you, for us and for all of humanity.
Here at IQ FireWatch / IQ Wireless, the health of our employees and customers has top priority. Most of our employees already work from home. Nevertheless, the work on your projects continues and we are of course still there for you and your concerns. So please do not hesitate to contact us at any time. We will do our best to help you and your company.
We at IQ FireWatch / IQ Wireless look confidently into the future despite these particularly difficult times. Every major crisis holds potential for great opportunities. Let us concentrate on the good: Nature is currently taking a deep breath. And this is only one of many rays of hope.
Above all, we wish you, your family and friends health and trust. Together we will overcome this crisis.
Your Kurt Winter, PHD and the entire team of IQ FireWatch / IQ Wireless
We protect what's worth protecting
"We protect what's worth protecting," proclaims our former managing director and Senior Consultant Holger Vogel. "Some people say that fire is part of the life of a forest.. That is certainly correct, but if fire becomes a danger to people, nature and animals, we really help to protect them with this system [IQ FireWatch]."