Students develop app that will sound the fire alarm on your phone

Check out Project FLAME, an internet-based app fire alarm system that will notify your phone if a fire breaks out in your home developed by senior high school students from Mapua University.

Team FLAME

FLAME, which stands for "Fire Luminosity and Multisensory Equipment" is a device that utilizes heat signature mapping and a multi-sensor system to detect fire and notify the homeowner. 

The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) granted financial aide of one million pesos under the Young Innovators Program's (YIP’s) fund to achieve their primary goal of reducing casualties and damaged properties caused by fire through providing a faster and reliable information to authorities.

“During our Disaster Risk Reduction Management class, we saw the trend of fire incidents in the country which is increasing every year. This caught our attention thinking about what we can do about this alarming situation. Using our knowledge in our own fields of expertise, we developed Project FLAME,” team leader of FLAME, Alec Denji Santos said.

Here's how the students did it. They connected a thermal imaging camera, a current sensor and a gas sensor, to the internet through which data output came from their developed algorithm.

The gas sensor

And then using the Internet of Thing (IoT) technology, the system is able to monitor heat irregularities and other fire hazards using video image analysis creating an accurate early detection system.

Accuracy is ensured because of its double trigger feature, meaning it will only alarm when a heat irregularity is shown in the heat map and when fire hazard sensor’s triggered.

Furthermore, it is connected with the equipment through a mobile application that allows data to be viewed from an Android device via an Arduino Bluetooth module.

The user shall be notified of fire hazard alerts through the app which shall also be sent to the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) for a faster fire incident response.

Compared to existing fire systems, FLAME is capable of sensing multiple fire hazards and prevents false alarms by autonomously analyzing the heat signatures shown in the heat map.

It not only increases the efficiency of fire prevention but also improves the reliability and response time of firemen through its alert system.

“This spark of ingenuity by our young students from Manila shows that we have a bright future for our scientific community.  DOST-PCIEERD will be front and center in stoking the flames of innovation in the hearts and minds of the youth through the YIP,” DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director Dr. Enrico C. Paringit said. — LA, GMA News