Concepts of Wildland Fire Protection of Cultural Monuments and National Parks in Greece. Case Study: Digital Telemetry Networks at the Forest of Ancient Olympia

摘要

The concepts and particularities of fire protection planning for monuments of cultural heritage that arc surrounded by national parks and other public wildlands are outlined, in the context of the general wildland fire problem of Greece. Typical examples of cultural monuments that were threatened by wildland fires in Greece are reported. A conceptual flowchart that combines optimal fire protection objectives with the protected values and functions of the national parks and cultural monuments is analyzed. A case-study presents the development of an electronic forest fire protection support system in the forest around the Ancient Olympia site in Greece, as an example of the potential deployment of innovative technologies in wildland fire protection. The aim of the system is twofold. First, the system supports remote monitoring of an extensive hydraulic network of pipelines, pumps and water-storage tanks build in the vicinity of the site. Second, the system provides means for remote operation of numerous revolving water-jets installed on top of heavy-duty tree-high metal towers, spread at key-locations inside the surrounding forest. All system telemetry data and command signals are transmitted through a single underground wire link requiring no external electric power at sensor/actuator locations inside the forest. Special user interfaces allow immediate system deployment either from a central graphics-based console screen or from purpose-build remote consoles installed at selected locations in the forest, thus achieving a high degree of readiness.