HEDRAF (INTERREG) project: Drones and Real-Time Analysis Enhancing Fire Safety

Recently, the Institute of Chemistry and Processes for Energy, the Environment and Health (ICPEES) welcomed firefighters from the Bas-Rhin region as part of the HEDRAF project (INTERREG D1-11). The aim of this project is to develop a drone capable of flying around the edge of a fire plume to assess air quality. This drone will be equipped with sensors for real-time measurement of inorganic pollutants. An automatic sampler will also collect organic pollutants present in the gas and particulate phases near the fire plume using a tube filled with adsorbent and a filter. The project also involves the possibility of implementing state-of-the-art equipment in a fire brigade chemical hazard control vehicle to carry out analyses directly on site. This consists of a portable gas chromatography coupled with a thermodesorber and specific detectors, enabling the quantification of organic pollutants sampled by the drone. This will thus enable firefighters to quickly assess the risks posed by pollution to the population and the environment.

This meeting was an opportunity for a concrete exchange between the different members of the project. The CAMATES (Analytical Chemistry and Materials for the Environment and Health) team from ICPEES was able to present the laboratory’s analytical instruments, which will be used for the project, while the firefighters were able to introduce their detection equipment. This enriching visit helped to better understand the needs of firefighters in terms of analysis of organic pollutants and provided an update on the project’s progress. The organisers would like to thank all participants for attending and look forward to the project’s success: the firefighters Lieutenante Mathilde Brun and Lieutenant-Colonel Patrice Petit, who led this project, as well as the two firefighters from the Chemical Hazards Vehicle, Maya Pivert, PhD student at INSA Strasbourg, Stéphane Le Calvé, Research Director at the CNRS and Marion Douard, Engineer at ICPEES.