Video Surveillance System for Early Fire Detection Upgraded at 25 New Locations

The video surveillance system for the early detection of forest and forest land fires has been expanded with 50 monitoring cameras at 25 new locations, with an emphasis on protected areas, national parks, and nature parks, the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Green Transition reported.

"By establishing new locations, the capacity for timely fire detection, assessment of its development and potential spread, and rapid field response is further strengthened. The system also utilizes meteorological data, which enables a better risk assessment and the making of more effective operational decisions in fire management," the Ministry stated.

The video surveillance system was upgraded as part of the project "Establishment of a Central Point for Coordinated Implementation of Climate Change Adaptation Policies." As emphasized by the Ministry, this investment is particularly important in the context of increasingly frequent and intense fires associated with climate change, which pose a growing risk to the population, property, forests, protected areas, and other natural assets.

The service is provided by Odašiljači i veze d.o.o. (OIV), and funding was secured under the Competitiveness and Cohesion Program 2021–2027. The Ministry explains that the OIV Fire Detect AI system uses advanced algorithms for automatic smoke and flame recognition, enabling reliable fire detection day and night. The video surveillance will be functional 24 hours a day, seven days a week, throughout the year, and the image and data transmission will be accessible to all county firefighting monitoring centers.

"By investing in modern technological solutions, the Republic of Croatia strengthens its own capacities for monitoring and managing climate risks and increases resilience to extreme weather and other events associated with climate change," the Ministry stated.

Source: HRT