Fire-Shield

Inspiration

A close friend of mine lost everything in a house fire—her home, belongings, and sense of security. With no clear direction for help, she struggled to recover. Fires like this affect thousands yearly, especially in Alberta, where wildfires cause widespread destruction. Emergency aid is often slow, leaving victims without immediate support. This inspired us to create FireShield—an AI-driven tool that quickly assesses damage and connects victims with critical resources.

What it does

FireShield analyzes fire damage from uploaded images using AI. Users submit a photo, and FireShield assesses the severity, ranking victims based on urgency. It then provides a list of nearby shelters and emergency services. This ensures that those with the most severe damage receive aid first, making disaster response faster and more efficient.

How we built it

We developed FireShield using React for the frontend and Django with Python for the backend. These technologies allow FireShield to be scalable, reliable, and effective in real-world use.

Challenges we ran into

Training the AI to accurately assess fire damage was difficult with limited time and data. Integrating real-time updates for dynamic prioritization was also a challenge. Ensuring smooth user experience while processing large images required optimization. Despite these obstacles, we built a functional prototype that demonstrates FireShield’s capabilities.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We successfully developed an AI-powered fire damage assessment tool within a hackathon. Our prototype processes images and prioritizes victims effectively. We also designed a user-friendly interface that makes accessing resources simple. Most importantly, we built a project with real-world impact, ensuring help reaches those who need it most.

What we learned

We gained experience in AI integration, disaster response technology, and teamwork. We learned how to optimize machine learning for real applications and balance speed with accuracy. Working under pressure taught us to problem-solve efficiently and build practical solutions with real impact.

What's next for Fire-Shield

Next, we aim to improve AI accuracy with more training data and integrate FireShield with emergency services. We also plan to develop a mobile app for better accessibility. Adding real-time alerts for first responders will enhance disaster response, making FireShield a powerful tool for fire recovery.

Try it out here: https://github.com/alishbamateen/BountyGeo