EPO and the fight against forest fires

As the fine weather returns to France, the fear of forest fires remains.

2022 was marked by major fires in Europe, resulting in a sad record of 785,000 hectares burnt by the end of 2022. Heavy ecological and human consequences were to be deplored.

In response to this scourge, the European Patent Office (EPO) has created a new Espacenet platform, providing worldwide access to patent information. This information comes from the EPO’s public databases, containing over 140 million documents.

This information is intended to give inventors, scientists and engineers access to techniques developed in the field of forest fires. The technologies made available can then be used to develop fire-fighting innovations.

The platform offers some 30 key search queries, developed by expert analysts and patent examiners from various offices.

Several fields are covered:

• Fire detection and prevention: the aim of these technologies is to determine the risk of fire and to identify fire outbreaks at an early stage.
• Fire extinguishing: these are emergency operations designed to extinguish fires in the face of the risk of rapid spread.
• Protective equipment: equipment to protect fire-fighters, and equipment to protect the structural elements of forests.
• Fire restoration: these technologies cover the methods and techniques used to restore and rehabilitate forests and other fire-damaged areas.

Let’s hope that this initiative will lead to the development and implementation of new technologies and solutions for fighting fires and safeguarding forests.

– Emma TRANCART, legal intern at Mark & Law