Advancement of microcontroller-based fire suppression system for enhanced safety in sugar cane plantations

The occurrence of accidental fires in sugarcane plantations is a significant cause of pre-harvest loss in the sugar industry, particularly during arid seasons. This paper introduces the conceptualization and implementation of a microcontroller-based prototype system for mitigating accidental fires in sugar cane plantations. The proposed system encompasses two distinct subsystems: the field monitoring and the fire control unit. The Field monitoring system, deployed within the sugarcane field, assumes responsibility for fire detection via smoke detectors, infrared detectors, as well as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide detectors, which are accompanied by a fire extinguishing mechanism. Conversely, the fire control unit, installed at the fire brigade office, establishes wireless communication with the field monitoring system through the global system for mobile communication (GSM) network. Upon detecting a fire, the microcontroller promptly dispatches a fire alert to the fire brigade while simultaneously activating water pumps to suppress the fire until the brigade arrives to fully extinguish it. Furthermore, the fire control unit triggers the fire alarm and exhibits the global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the burning field to facilitate precise localization. The proposed system uses the Arduino-Mega and Arduino- Leonardo microcontroller platforms and is programmed using the C++ programming language in Visual-Studio-Code software and the Arduino integrated development environment. Designed prototype can detect fires and alert the fire brigade in less than twenty seconds and activate water pumps in less than one second after fire detection.