MoviTherm launches cloud-based fire detection system

Fire safety is a critical concern in the waste and recycling sector, where proper detection systems play a vital role in protecting lives and assets, and MoviTherm, an Irvine, California-based fire detection service provider, has developed a new solution for industries are susceptible to fires.

Founded in 1999, the company says its newest launch—the Internet-based Early Fire Detection System (iEFD)—is an intelligent early fire detection system that aims to change how industrial buildings manage and mitigate fires.

The system uses infrared cameras and cloud-based technology to detect fires at an early stage, and the company says its system even works in challenging environments. Since the system uses proprietary cloud technology developed by MoviTherm that runs on an Amazon web Services server, the company says it can be infinitely scaled.

“We have been doing remote monitoring and early fire detection solutions for quite some time, and this system grew out of a need for a system that could meet multiple specifications and be implemented with ease,” MoviTherm CEO Mark Tarin says. “Before this, the process of implementing these systems always took a bit longer. This is because we had to create a one-off system for that particular customer.”

The cloud-based architecture allows the system to detect and communicate real-time alerts within milliseconds to building occupants and first responders if hot spots are detected, Tarin says.

“This system can be applied to anything that has a high risk of any sort of accidental fire development, from metal recycling to streams with batteries, plastics and rubber,” he adds. “It also could be used in operations working with biomass.”

When a hot spot is detected, the iEFD alerts an operator via voice and text messages or email. The system uses a web browser to display an interactive map that shows exactly where the fire is, allowing employees and first responders to locate the potential danger. First responders receive the map via text or email, can monitor the situation as it develops and locate the hot spot before a fire breaks out.

The detection system does not have an integrated fire-suppression system, however, through what Tarin calls an intelligent gateway, iEFD can be connected to a fire-suppression system so it can be used remotely.

“Our system is designed to be autonomous,” Tarin says. “We do have technical staff here that keep an eye on things to see if anything goes wrong with the system. But other than that, the system is fully autonomous and can alert an operator on its own.”

Because it is cloud-based, the system relies on a Wi-Fi connection. Tarin says this doesn’t hinder the system as it has several safety measures to ensure it runs without fail, including safety beacons that shine a light and make noise where a camera detects a hot spot if the map fails to send.

MovieTherm also offers a network of modems that can turn on in case the facility’s internet connection fails. Tarin says the company also makes a separate network for an operation so connection speeds don’t slow down a facility’s internet connection.

“We also have a multicarrier network, meaning the cellular modem will monitor how strong the cell strength is in that particular location,” Tarin says. “Let's say T-Mobile goes down, it would switch over to Verizon automatically without the customer even needing to do anything.”

The system is tailored to meet the customer’s needs and uses a subscription model, in which the business pays a monthly fee based on the size of the system.