Embedded Files
(Update 7/9/2025)
Pan/Tilt/Zoom camera and its solar panel and wifi antenna.
View images at http://www.lavanet.com.au/mtelephantfirecam/
This site is kindly sponsored by:GBM technology, Camperdown
In Dec 2015 a private web camera was mounted as a trial on the trig point at the summit of Mount Elephant.
Also mounted here is a GPS base which is used for the auto-steer of local farm machinery.
The webcam shares the tractor guidance solar panel and battery.
The signal goes by wifi to a local house internet access point.
The trial is continued for a further 7 years with upgraded camera and internet connection.
Management of the camera is strictly controlled by just 1 operator.
The aim of the trial is to monitor smoke from fires when the fire towers have poor visibility or are not manned.
This is useful to check for ignition during lightning storms and to monitor the development and control of wildfires. The camera is not monitored unless a fire is expected or notified.
In 2016/17 the trial was a project of Mount Elephant Community Management and not formally connected to the CFA or fire brigades.
The trial was a success, with many fires to 30km distance being spotted and tracked.
In Dec 2016 Lismore CFA Group assumed management of the camera. No funding was necessary.
The firecam operator can monitor the fire from any location and capture screenshots of critical stages to send to the fire controller's phone or the firecam facebook page.https://www.facebook.com/Firecam-Mount-Elephant.
The images below are examples of the output in 8/2/2003 of a fire threatening a wind farm at Dundonnell, about 30km to the north west
In the top left corner displays a date/time stamp, Below it is bearing, camera tilt and zoom.
In 2025 we can use up to optical zoom x30 plus digital x10.
Zoomx30 optical
+10 digital
aircraft seen above the left turbines. Tankers visible
zoomx30 optical only (more turbines visible)
Bomber coming in for a run on the left flank
zoom x 14
Running with an easerly on stony rises to the Dundonnell wind farm
zoom x 4
Smoke building, heading to Dundonnell wind farm in Westmere Group
Zoom x 1
Can tell the bearing and distance but not much else.
Examples of use of Firecam (all have occurred):
Monitor the development and control of wildfires to assess the number and locations of equipment needed and assets at risk.
Notify wind farm operators of any fire in their area. ICC notifies other infrastructure owners.
Act as a manned lookout on days of high fire danger when the manned towers are not up or have poor visibility.
Monitor the area during lightning storms and call in any ignitions to Firecom.
Monitor the tail end of brigade roadside burns if requested by burn control.
Verify if a fire call is for one or multiple fires.
Verify if a smoke sighting is of smoke or dust or spreading lime, gypsum.
Verify the location of a fire which is called in by the public. They often get the road names wrong or call in a registered stubble burn.
Monitor the progress of a train that has caused fires in other Group areas.
Monitor the highway when a vehicle is known to be causing fires.
Monitor any stubble burns which are lit outside of restriction wind or temperature parameters.
Management Protocols:
Lismore Group appoints several operators of the camera with strict guidelines to observe public privacy. Use is restricted to monitor smoke and development of fires only. Key images of fires as they develop are now uploaded to https://www.facebook.com/Firecam-Mount-Elephant/ These images can be viewed by fire controllers and the public. Signal is by WiFi to a nearby internet access point.
Cost is: For the present basic system: camera ($700), pair of long range WiFi antennas ($600), solar panel ($250), 2 x 100amp.hr deep cycle batteries ($500). There is no cost for admin, bandwidth or image viewing app.
A proposed more durable system is likely to cost considerably more.....
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