Sensors, both in old and new constructions, as well as the BIM protocol, can help in the early detection of risk situations.
Every time a tragedy shakes our lives, many people question what could have been done differently to avoid similar situations in the future. It happened with the 9-11 terrorist attacks in the United States, which revealed that New York firefighters did not know how the Twin Towers were designed and therefore, they ignored where the evacuation routes were or how to stop the flames or their collapse.
With the recent fires that happened in a residential building in Valencia and in a nursing home in Madrid (which left 10 and 3 dead respectively), we have asked ourselves what technologies can be used, in new construction of buildings but also in the ones that exist already, to avoid this type of tragedies. In relation to this, we must point out that we will not address those technologies designed for areas frequently exposed to natural catastrophes that do not affect our country, such as earthquakes, hurricanes or big floods.
The good news is, most of these technologies are at hand, and even though some may entail an investment of some digits, others are so basic that anyone can start using them now.
Sensórica
According to the INE, there are 9.7 million buildings in Spain intended mainly or exclusively for housing. The Spanish real state park is, besides, of a considerable age, given that more than half of it was built between 1961 and 2001.
Even though new constructions sometimes opt for including technological improvements to better their safety and efficiency, old constructions can also turn into smart buildings.
A smart building is that which uses technology and processes to automate control and management of its operations, such as lighting, safety, heating or tap water, among others.
In order to achieve that, they count on different net-integrated sensors, as well as microchips, which generate data and, when analysing that data, a more efficient management can be carried out. The Internet of Things (IoT) allows us to carry this out even at an individual level, at our own homes, by including alarms.
These sensors are the ones that can also alert when a piece of machinery or device (such as a water boiler at home or another tool at an industrial unit) starts to fail and we are at risk when using it. «Light changes in temperature or different shapes on the surface offer a lot of information that, if analysed with artificial intelligence, tells us when a machine is going to fail», claims Manuel Fuertes, Kiatt’s CEO and advisor for Benvira, a company specialised in this kind of solutions. Other equipment, like thermal chambers or air quality sensors and thermostats, could also be useful to detect changes when detecting an abnormal situation.
Fuertes believes that it is essential that all homes incorporate fire sensors. «We cannot let humans to be the ones to detect fire, because when a person sees it, it is already too late”, he states.
Going Blindly
As aforementioned, when they need to come to the rescue of a building, many times firefighters «go blindly», without really knowing what they are going to face.
To prevent this type of situation, we could talk about two technological options, which are not exclusive between them. On the one hand, BIM. On the other hand, Flash LED
BIM stands for Building Information Modeling, a system through which we can register information of the facilities like emergency plans, plumbing or electrical installation plans, model those in 3D and store them digitally to make access easier to staff. Historically, the BIM has been used mainly by architecture professionals, but it has also spread to the context of installation management.
An Internal Google Maps
To give us an idea, BIM would be like a Google Maps of the interior of every building in every region, which is incredibly useful for system maintenance, given that it allows us to know in real time, for example, where a specific electric circuit is, or a piece of machinery which is behind a wall. Apart from geographical information, it provides Intel about space awareness, light analysis and the amounts and properties of the building components
This type of visual and space information is quite useful during repair works or renewals, but also in case of an emergency. «In case of an emergency, thanks to the BIM models, firefighters know where all these installations are and where to cut the stopcock from the beginning», explains Alejandro Ruiz de Lara, CEO at Check to Build, who believes that, if there was a public database for the emergency services with all the cities’ infrastructures, «every emergency service would know how to work in each building». BIM is the precursor of the digital twins, which allows to «work on these buildings telematically before a tragedy takes place».
According to the estimation of this expert, in English-speaking countries, BIM technology is much more integrated (a 60% of the market), while in Spanish-speaking ones we don’t get to a 12%. Facing new constructions, there is only one problem to be solved, according to his vision: that everyone involved in the project «knows how to collaborate with BIM and work on the same version» because «what usually happens» is that each party generates their own BIM. «The challenge is for everyone to use the same BIM all the time so that, the one that makes it in the end is perfect, it is the one that has to be sent to the emergency services, the one that will save lives, the more efficient one», explains.
The other technology, Flash LED, lets us know the number of people who live in a residential building at any moment in time. Fuertes claims that this program is already working in China or Hong Kong, although he admits that here, it could lead to privacy problems.
The Power Of The Little Things
Many of the types of technology that can prevent fires are available to any user.
Some are as simple as chargers that stop charging and their connection to the electrical grid when they detect overheating within the device. Manuel Fuertes considers that more awareness among users is necessary. «When we look for a charger, we usually opt for the cheapest one, without thinking that maybe, the one that’s 15 euros and 5 times more expensive, it’s because it has these sensors and this security. Not every electrical component is of the same quality, and therefore it does matter where you buy them and at what price », he reflects.
