The second largest fire defence infrastructure in the world begins its first pilot tests in Riba-roja de Túria and Paterna

The EU-funded GUARDIAN project will be completed in the first half of 2022

In recent weeks, the GUARDIAN project, aimed at increasing fire resilience in urban-forest interface areas of the Parc Natural del Túria, is carrying out the first pilot tests.

Thus, at the moment, the correct functioning of the hydraulic infrastructure is being verified, consisting of 6,500 meters of pipes and 5 tanks that are responsible for collecting the water from the regeneration station and directing it to the 40 fixed SIDEINFO towers that have now all been installed and that will increase fire protection in 35 hectares of this Natural Park.

Over the next few weeks, the Medi XXI GSA team will work to continue adjusting the water levels that the SIDEINFO towers will provide to this green area depending on its status. For this, a wireless sensory network (SIDEINFO NETSense) has been installed that monitors the risk of forest fires in the Natural Park in real time and allows its managers to activate the defensive system in case of need, both preventively (lower temperature, increase humidity) as well as for fighting ongoing wildfires.

Likewise, a remote control system will supervise the operation of both the hydraulic infrastructure installed by Hidraqua: tank levels, pumping, water regeneration station, etc; as well as prevention and defense infrastructures: sensor signals and activation of water towers. Hidraqua and Medi XXI GSA are verifying that distribution and storage orders are carried out properly; and that they do not produce losses or any other anomaly that may affect the correct operation of the installation.

On the other hand, work continues on the water intakes that will allow the use of portable cannons, complementary to the towers already installed, to increase resilience and water supply in the event of extreme risk or fire.

To achieve the implementation of this project GUARDIAN has a technical team, led by the Riba-roja City Council, and whose consortium includes the Paterna City Council, Hidraqua, Medi XXI GSA, Cetaqua, the Polytechnic University of Valencia, the University of Valencia and that has the collaboration of the Generalitat Valenciana.