Lumkani Fire Detection

South Africa, WC, South Africa

Lumkani has built the world's first off-the-shelf, networked early warning device and system designed for people living in dense urban slums. The device is a heat detector and not an ill-suited smoke detector. It alerts residents in the event of a fire, enabling proactive measures before the fire becomes unmanageable. The system also provides community-wide alerts and uses GSM and GPS technology to send SMS alerts to community leaders and store GPS coordinates of fires.

Project Stage

Scaling

Implementation time

1 - 6 months

Total Cost

$250,000.00

Last update: October 05, 2023

Overview Contributors

Challenge

Informal settlements are highly vulnerable to fire outbreaks due to the density of households and the flammable materials with which homes are constructed. These fires displace hundreds and even thousands of people with each occurrence.

Description

The Lumkani Fire Detection system uses a rate-of-rise of temperature detection method, avoiding false alarms due to smoke from normal activities like cooking and heating. The detectors are networked through RF technology to alert neighboring homes, and the system integrates GSM and GPS technology to send SMS alerts and store fire locations.

SDGs

Outcomes

Lumkani has rolled out fire detectors to over 7000 informal households across South Africa. Approximately 30,000 people are protected by the technology daily. The system has successfully detected many fires and has seven verified incidents where potential disasters were averted. No lives have been lost to fires in communities using Lumkani devices.