AI application in fire prevention, firefighting: Early fire warning solution

The application of technology, especially artificial intelligence (AI), can significantly transform fire prevention and firefighting in a smarter, more accurate, and timely direction.

The Vietnam's Association of Foreign Invested Enterprises (VAFIE), KD&C Corporation, and Korea Fire IoT (KFI) on Friday jointly organized a seminar titled “Application of AI in fire prevention and firefighting: Introducing the next-generation early fire warning system” in Hanoi.

Lieutenant Colonel Dao Manh Ha, deputy head of the division of science- technology and equipment examination for fire prevention and rescue, under the Ministry of Public Security's Fire and Rescue Police Department, said: "In the context of globalization and the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, digital transformation is an inevitable trend and urgent requirement in all fields, including fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue work."

Ha noted that a fire information transmission system project is being developed, aiming to enable the fastest possible reception of fire alerts and manage fire prevention and firefighting activities in a digital environment.

"Once operational, the system will consolidate all fire prevention and fighting data from various facilities into a unified database, allowing early fire alerts to be transmitted directly to command centers,” he added.

However, Ha stressed that applying new technologies and AI in fire prevention and rescue still faces limitations. These include concentration mainly in major cities and key facilities, lack of synchronized technical infrastructure, shortage of AI and data processing experts, and high costs for software maintenance, hardware upgrades, and workforce training.

According to Ha Ba Tuan, secretary general of VAFIE, the amended Law on Fire Prevention, Firefighting, and Rescue, effective from July 1, 2025, adds many new provisions related to science and technology.

These include incentive policies for organizations and individuals engaging in research and technology application and in establishing centralized database management systems for fire prevention, firefighting, and rescue operations.

Administrative procedures and business conditions have also been simplified and reduced from 37 to only 10, creating more convenience for citizens and enterprises.

Tuan emphasized that one of the most important transformations brought by science- technology and AI is the shift from a “reactive” to “proactive prevention” approach in fire safety management.

For Vietnam, a country undergoing rapid urbanization and industrialization, this shift is of great significance. “With AI-powered detection and early warning systems, fires can be prevented or damages significantly reduced, building safer living and working environments, while saving costs, time, and resources for public safety forces,” Tuan added.

From "reactive" to "proactive prevention" through AI application

Nguyen Phi Long, vice president and secretary general of the Vietnam Fire and Rescue Association (VFRA), remarked that the government is heavily investing in IT application centers and early warning systems.

All high-risk facilities are connected directly to control centers capable of remote monitoring and management. Thanks to that, information related to fire and explosion risks is updated quickly, helping warning and response work become much more proactive and timely than before.

“Previously, traditional fire alarm systems relied on two main signals - heat and smoke. This means the system only detected and sent alerts after a fire had already started, once those indicators reached a certain threshold,” he explained.

“Today, thanks to advances in technology, many corporations and enterprises are integrating AI and big data into fire prevention systems, enabling earlier detection - sometimes even before a flame ignites.”

By combining AI with diverse sensors - measuring environmental conditions, humidity, smoke, temperature, and movement - the system can analyze aggregated data and identify anomalies compared to normal conditions, issuing alerts even before combustion occurs.

Internationally, Long noted that AI technology has already been widely adopted in fire prevention systems in developed nations such as the U.S., Japan, the UK, and South Korea.

These countries have led the way in building smart fire monitoring and management models, while others, including Vietnam, are gradually learning and implementing similar approaches.

“In Vietnam, centralized data storage and early warning systems have already been established and are starting to operate. From these centers, authorities can directly coordinate with individual facilities at high fire risk, improving prevention efficiency and minimizing the occurrence of large-scale fires,” Long added.

RozeAI: Developing smart fire prediction systems

At the workshop, representatives of KD&C - the exclusive distributor of RozeAI early fire alarm system in Vietnam - and KFI introduced the solution using AI.

James Cho, CEO of RozeAI, said that the idea for the company's technology originated about 10 years ago after a major fire broke out in a South Korean shopping mall.

"That tragedy inspired us to find ways to use technology to prevent and minimize fire-related damages. We began by collecting data from sensors, routing systems, monitoring devices, and environmental sources. After accumulating enough big data, our engineers analyzed correlations among fire-causing factors and developed predictive algorithms for AI-based early fire detection.”

The AI-powered early fire detection and warning system has been piloted in various government agencies, shopping malls, office buildings, CCTV systems, and large residential complexes across South Korea, proving highly effective in identifying early fire risks and reducing damage, the CEO told the event.

According to RozeAI, during the first 6-12 months of system installation, data volume is still limited, so accuracy may be modest. However, after 1-2 years of continuous machine learning, accuracy and reliability improve significantly. The richer the dataset, the more precisely AI can identify fire-prone zones, enhancing proactive prevention and overall safety.

MoU on strategic cooperation

Within the framework of the seminar, VAFIE, KD&C (the exclusive distributor of RozeAI early fire alarm system in Vietnam), and KFI (the unit providing installation and maintenance services for the RozeAI system) signed an agreement on their strategic cooperation in developing wireless fire alarm products in Vietnam.

Dr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, chairman of VAFIE, praised RozeAI’s products and solutions for their contribution not only to community safety but also to advancing the application of AI, big data, and modern technologies in smart living environment, infrastructure, urban management.

“This seminar highlights great potential for cooperation, technology transfer, and the development of science–technology applications in fire prevention and firefighting in particular - and across other sectors in general,” Dr. Tuan added.

RozeAI is a leading global AI disaster solution company, with continuous R&D investment and active overseas market development.

Over the past five years, RozeAI has laid the groundwork for entering the Vietnamese market by establishing a local subsidiary, obtaining approval from the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications for all IoT fire alarm system products, securing a Vietnamese patent for its wireless fire system, conducting pilot installations in schools and factories, and acquiring official fire safety certification in Vietnam.