Climate change and increased environmental awareness are driving the development of concrete firefighting projects. The summer period statistically registers the highest number of forest fires in Italy; however, among the most dangerous are the so-called "root-to-root" fires because they spread underground, and paradoxically, the most critical season for fires in this area of ​​Lombardy is autumn/winter, when the forests lose their leaves.

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Campo dei Fiori Regional Natural Park, established in 1984, is a wooded area of ​​approximately 6,300 hectares located in the Prealps, in the province of Varese. This vast area is characterized by its diverse vegetation and is home to numerous animal species.

The Challenge:
In 2017 and 2019, the park was the scene of violent fires that caused considerable damage, including economic losses. In addition to malicious human actions, climate change is also increasing the conditions favorable for wildfires. Constant analysis and monitoring of the territory is the only way to effectively prevent fires of any kind, which is why the Park Authority has decided to implement a modern digital surveillance system capable of protecting the environment and its inhabitants. "Prevention is a fundamental action to try to contain and eventually eliminate events such as wildfires that endanger the mountain and hillside ecosystem of the Park area, affecting a heritage of great natural importance," states Dr. Giancarlo Bernasconi, director and manager of the Park's Environmental Management Area (AIB).

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The Solution:
With a long-term perspective, the Park Authority realized it was crucial to define a project plan to work on in advance in order to implement an effective infrastructure intervention. To carry out the project, they adopted the Genetec™ Security Center platform technology, which integrates Axis Communications Q6225-LE series network cameras with Genetec™ Omnicast, the IP-based VMS that enables smarter video operation. The cameras' high zoom capabilities, combined with Genetec's solutions, allow the Park Authority to monitor the forest area.

“Genetec’s software is capable of processing camera position metadata so we can provide precise intervention coordinates to the Fire Department, fire watchmen, and helicopters to target the point of interest,” explains Maurizio Fratini, CTO of Security Service Red and consultant to the Park Authority. “Within the Genetec platform, map points are georeferenced with camera parameters to obtain coordinates. Thanks to the Genetec platform, information such as wind speeds and high-definition images of the flames can be simultaneously displayed and managed on multiple screens and monitors, resulting in continuous monitoring within a constantly active control room.”

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area like the Parco dei Fiori. This allows us to save costs and time on the resources traditionally used to patrol the territory with classic means instead of remote observation," explains Bernasconi.

Thanks to the metadata sent by the cameras, the Fire Operations Director (FOD) can pinpoint the exact location of a fire on the map and, using the mobile app, can monitor the situation from anywhere and request backup. Security Center, with its easy-to-configure native support, allows for quick camera calibration on georeferenced maps. This scalable software solution allows for the future integration of additional devices and video analytics for predictive fire prevention applications.

The full document with all the details about the Parque dei Fiori success story is available (in Italian) here .