'Fire Scene Only Removes Black Smoke' Firefighter's Special Assistant Emerges

Visual Enhancement Video Processing Technology, 90% of Firefighters Satisfied with Visual Improvement Effect
Fire Agency Commissioner Commendation Awarded

Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) Electric Convergence Human Care Research Center Director Kang Dong-gu received a commendation from the National Fire Agency for developing the ‘visual enhancement image processing technology’ that secures firefighters' visibility at fire scenes.

A firefighter is testing the 'visual enhancement equipment'.

At fire scenes, thick black smoke often makes it difficult to see even a short distance ahead. This can delay rescue times or cause firefighters or rescue targets to become trapped.

The ‘visual enhancement image processing’ developed by Director Kang removes smoke and clearly reveals hidden structures that are hard to see within it. For example, in situations where visibility is completely obscured by fire, this technology removes the black smoke. According to Director Kang, this is the world’s first technology that removes only black smoke.

Director Kang Dong-gu, Electric Convergence Human Care Research Center, Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI)

Director Kang collaborated with the National Fire Research Institute to directly develop a prototype, which was tested at the Central Fire Academy at the end of last year. The prototype development reflected the characteristics of fire scenes, making it small, durable, and long-lasting. As a result, the target search time was reduced by about 27%, and 90% of firefighters participating in the fire experiment responded that they were satisfied with the visibility improvement effect. Its portability also resulted in high satisfaction among firefighters.

The visibility enhancement device is planned to be used on a trial basis at fire dispatch sites this year. The research team expects that if applied to the field through future technology commercialization, it will contribute to creating a fire industry market worth approximately 11 billion KRW. Additional research is also planned on durability, portability, and low manufacturing costs necessary for fire scenes.

Director Kang stated, “This technology can be applied not only to fire scenes but also to various industrial fields such as surgical endoscopic devices, weather-resistant autonomous driving cameras, and marine fog observation equipment.”

With this achievement, the National Fire Research Institute received the grand prize (Minister of the Interior and Safety Award) at last year’s ‘Responsible Operation Agency Service Innovation Sharing Conference,’ and in recognition of this, the National Fire Agency Commissioner awarded Director Kang Dong-gu a commendation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.