PyroTamer Highlights
2022 Diamond Challenge Finalist
2022 Conrad Challenge Power Pitch Award Winner
2021 Congressional App Challenge's Winner (California 14th District)
2022 Model Entrepreneur Competition Best Teamwork Award 3rd Place
What is PyroTamer?
Our project is centered on battling the extensive damage of wildfires by aiding firefighters in their efforts. During a fire, one major issue is keeping track of all the resources. In the business and panic of a raging fire, it is easy to lose track of where each resource is located, which is why we developed PyroTamer. Through this web app, firefighters can not only save more lives, but also protect their own safety. Continue looking through our website for more information on how we got started, the faces behind PyroTamer, our current progress, etc.
Meet Our Coach
Izzy
Hi there, my name is Izador Lera and I am a coach for the PyroTamer team. As the technical coach of the team, I help the team members navigate creating the required technology and code for the project. Outside of the project, I am finishing my last semester for my degree in Physics and I have great interests in coding and science in general.
Meet Our Team
Daniel
Hi my name is Daniel Cha and I work on the software development of the mobile app for this team. I am developing the app that has similar functions to the website but our future goal is being able to use the app in real life situations. Besides pyrotamer, I am considering to pursue a major in MSE (Material Science and Engineering) in college and love playing the piano.
Hi! My name is Jaein (Jane) Kim, a senior at Saint Paul Preparatory Seoul. As a member of PyroTamer, I design our logos, websites, and the user interface of our mobile and web app. In my free time, I love to design, play volleyball, and create animated videos. It has been and will continue to be an exciting experience collaborating with the other teammates to develop our PyroTamer project.
Jaein
Jermaine
Hello! My name is Jermaine. I am currently a senior. I always enjoyed writing algorithms and exploring different ways to utilize computing power for problem-solving! Some of my other hobbies are robotics, competitive math, and talking to friends! I’m very excited to be a part of the FireTamer project. The wildfires will only get more destructive and deploying technology to quickly communicate the status of the containment is imminent.
Hi! My name is Matthew Lee and I am currently a senior. I’ve always enjoyed solving real-world problems with programming and finding ways to improve projects I am working on through reaching out to others. Some of my hobbies include listening to music, playing the clarinet, and hanging out with my friends. I am excited to be a part of the PyroTamer project and can’t wait to see how our project will help firefighters!
Matthew
Meet Our Product: PyroTamer
PyroTamer App Features
Published in jsr.org
How We Started
PyroTamer is a company located in California, United States. Our team consists of Jermaine Lei, Daniel Cha, Jaein Kim, and Matthew Lee, a group of high school students from the United States and South Korea. We wanted to use our skills and interests to assist tirelessly working firefighters who are struggling to suppress the spreading fires around the world, as well as learn what it takes to launch a platform. Motivated by these goals, we created PyroTamer, and since October of 2020, we have been working together to build an app to aid firefighters in battling fires.
The Problem
The rate of wildfires have drastically increased and with this, firefighters need more coordination. It takes over 5 hours to track all the resources and plan out their next steps. Each and every minute is precious when the lives of others are at stake. Having a shared resource to track all the resources being used, especially in big fires, could make all the difference.
Why Haven't Others Done This Yet?
One of the large reasons that firefighters have not changed to different online applications is because they are uncertain of change. Their methods have been consistent and working for many decades, so adding new technology could bring more harm than good. To avoid putting citizens in potential danger, they stick to their current ways of communication. That being said, some firefighters use an application called Avenza maps, which provides them a topographical map, however the application is not specifically made for firefighting and does not have any special features to assist firefighters.
Testimonials & Industry Feedback
Phnam Bagley Partner at Nonfiction, Executive Board Member at Fast Company
I have had the pleasure to review the PyroTamer project over the last few months. The project focuses on California (and other places in the world) burning at an unprecedented rate. It’s been wonderful to see the PyroTamer team develop a software solution that can help firefighters optimize access to critical equipment. Instead of relying on the government to do something about a dire situation, students are now empowered to believe they can team up and solve it themselves. This is a critical part of education that will serve the students in the long term, as they grow into their passions and inspire others to think critically and creatively.
William Liao Director of Operations, Crisis Technologies Innovation Lab (CTIL)
There is tremendous opportunity for technological innovation in the firefighting community, and it's inspiring to see a group of high school students so dedicated to innovating in this space. It has been a privilege and honor to work with the Applied Computing Foundation and the PyroTamer team. I am more excited than ever for what the next generation of innovators will bring to the firefighting space.
Tim Firefighter, Cal Fire
I would first like to say thank you to the pyrotamer team. I think this project is very important because it is going to allow firefighters in the future to track resources and work together more easily. In the long run, it will prevent fires from getting larger, destroying properties and natural resources, and therefore save people’s lives. I am certain that what pyrotamer is doing is very important to our community, and I am glad to see how much progress the team has taken! I’m excited to see where the project goes.
UI Progress
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Simplified the overall user interface to make it easier and quicker for the users to access the essential features
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Edited the buttons of the website so that they stand out when the users first open the website
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Changed the marker into icons representing different categories such as fire trucks, hoses, lines, and more
Application Progress
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Wanted to expand more than the webpage
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Tried to make the mobile app look almost similar to the UI
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Easier Tool usage than the website
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Plot points that aren’t at your current location without needing to tediously find the longitude and latitude
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Not all the features on the website has not transferred to the application development
Website Progress
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Added a basic line drawing feature
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Make line drawing feature easier to use
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Created a UI layout that we would work towards
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Working on separate icons for different resources
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Our point adding system works, but is difficult to use in an urgent situation
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Current heroku website is followed up with the initial UI, and distinguishable icons are visible to users.
Short Term Goals
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Interview firefighters and community members about PyroTamer and collect their feedback
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Complete every feature for the mobile app development
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Register for Patent
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Communicate with mesh-networks companies to develop mesh-networking feature of our app.
Long Term Mission
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Our mission is to help organize and track resources for firefighters to help speed up their organization process and save more lives.