Published by : International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)

http://www.ijert.org ISSN: 2278-0181

Vol. 7 Issue 04, April-2018

Notifire: A Microcontroller (Arduino) Operated

Device for Early Fire Detection and Risk
Reduction
1
Marco Antonio A. Galo, 2Kyle A. De La Torre, 3Rizelin John Ofelia
123
HS Students,
Philippine Science High School-Central Visayas Campus
Talaytay, Argao, Cebu

Abstract— Fire can be either an extremely useful tool in our daily actions warn nearby people about their perceived information
lives or a dangerous existence in itself that results to disasters about the fire and their actions are made through their
that often cost more than money. Fire incidents are often the ones processed thoughts. This is called manual fire detection and is
that generate the most damage in a short amount of time due to it one of the oldest methods of fire detection [3].
being rapid and leave no other salvageable parts. To combat
these, early fire detection and prevention devices have been
invented and made. In this research, an early fire detection device Automatic fire detection devices were made in order to
has been made along with a message sender response. The device minimize human error as much as possible and to respond
has been made to detect temperature, gas and flame, which are accordingly even without the presence of humans. The oldest
possible signs of a fire. The device consists of the circuit type of these devices was thermal detectors during the mid
containing an Arduino module, GSM module for message 1800’s. In general, automatic fire detection devices/systems
sending, sensors, buzzer and LEDs, and an acrylic casing to operate by having a set of algorithm that responds to the fire.
house the circuit. The device detected an average maximum For example, thermal detectors operate when a pre-determined
distance range of 8.33 cm for gas, 177.33 cm for flame and 2.43 temperature is sensed and recorded. After detecting the
cm for temperature. The device also has successfully sent text
message to designated cellphone number indicating the situations
specified value, sprinklers will activate in order to extinguish
the device has detected such as high temperature and gas leak. A the fire or at least minimize its damage. Newer ones such as
survey was performed for feedbacks about the usability, smoke detectors identify a fire through the signs of smoke.
aesthetics and functionality of the device and results showed a They operate on the systems of photoelectric principle, air
possible marketability potential with a Net Promoter Score of aspiration or ionization and alarm the surrounding area that
33%. Overall, the device can serve as a functional early fire there is a fire [3]. Along these detectors are various response
detection device based on tests and surveys. mechanisms that adapt through situations and have helped
prevent fires and solve fire-related problems
Keywords—NotiFire; Fire; Fire Detection; Arduino; GSM;
This study will incorporate the use and study the feasibility
of microcontrollers in fire detection systems. The main goal of
I. INTRODUCTION
the study is to fabricate a reliable (as based on its accuracy and
Fire can either be an extremely useful tool in our daily lives precision) yet low-maintenance fire detection system using
or a dangerous existence in itself that results to disasters that sensors readily available in the market in order to address the
often cost more than money [1] Handled carelessly, fire can be challenge of maintaining home security.
as destructive as it can be useful. Fires are considered as a
major security concern around the globe. Fire incidents are
often the ones that generate the most damage in a short amount II. OBJECTIVES
of time, leaving no salvageable parts [2] Fire destroys • Fabricate an early fire detection device controlled by
properties and resources, and can even extinguish life. The an Arduino microcontroller using flame, gas, and
2015 Annual Accomplishment Report by the Bureau of Fire temperature sensors compatible with it;
Protection of the Philippines, estimates that almost 3.62 billion
pesos worth of properties have been damaged by fire and a • Evaluate the performance of the device by measuring
total number of 1049 people were recorded with casualties or its maximum range of detection in a simulated
injuries related to it. These data also show an increase of environment for flame, gas, and temperature sensors;
9.70% for recorded property damage and a significant increase and
for reported casualties and injuries compared to 2014.
• Evaluate the device through external evaluators
Fire detectors are technologies commonly used to detect (respondents) through a standard formulated
and prevent fire outbreaks. A fire detector detects and questionnaire comprising queries relating to customer
responds to the signs of fire such as smoke, heat and radiation, feedback.
thereby preventing or minimizing the damage done by fire.
Humans, in fact, are fire detectors with their five senses. Their

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 Published by : International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
http://www.ijert.org ISSN: 2278-0181
Vol. 7 Issue 04, April-2018

III. FABRICATION OF THE DEVICE D. Testing of Device

A. Components of the Device The device was tested using a flame source both for heat
• Arduino® Uno- an open source electronics and flame parameters and a small butane gas in order to
microcontroller platform used for prototyping and determine if the sensors were working and were integrated
various electronics purposes[4] properly with the GSM module. The maximum range of
• Flame sensor – a variation of the infrared (IR) sensor detection for each of the sensor was taken by moving the
that is set to detect only a range of 760 nm to 1100 source of fire away from the sensor in increments of 1 cm until
nm[5] the device could not pick up a reading for 5 seconds.
Afterwards, the source was moved closer between the 1 cm
• GSM– stands for Global System for Mobile
ranges where the fire has been last detected to determine the
communication, a type of communication network
precise value. The algorithm of the device is as shown in Fig
that is widely used
2.
• LM35 temp sensor –a precision integrated circuit
type of temperature sensor for Arduino
• MQ2 Gas Sensor- a flammable gas detector for
Arduino
• LED- stands for light emitting diode, a type of diode
that emits light upon flow of current
.
B. Design of the Circuit Fig 2: Algorithm of NotiFire
The circuit of the device was designed to ensure efficiency E. User Satisfaction Survey
for the device in terms of space and placement of components
and the circuit itself. The Arduino device, along with the GSM After the device was tested in its prototype stage and
module, LED and buzzer, gas, temperature, and flame finalized, a user satisfaction survey was done covering the
detector, was attached to the circuit according to Fig 1.The aesthetics, functionality and the willingness to use and
sensors detected changes in parameters that they are assigned recommend the device.A rating scale from 0 to 10 was used
to measure. When one of these sensors measures an where 0 was the lowest score (not at all likely), 5 being
abnormality that points to a fire (e.g. high temperature and gas neutral, and 10 being the highest score (extremely likely,
leak), the buzzer, and the corresponding LED will activate, patterned after Robert Rubinoff’s “Quantifying User
and the GSM module will send a distress message. The GSM Experience” and Net Promoter Score formats. It was done by
and Arduino will be powered by separate 5V sources. random sampling to get the 30 respondents from Philippine
Science High School – Central Visayas Campus. The Net
Promoter Score (NPS) formula utilized for the analysis is
given by the following [6].

NPS = [% Promoters with 9s to10s] - [% Detractors with 0s to 5s]

IV. RESULTS
A. Fabrication of the Final Device
The circuit component of the device was assembled and
placed in an acrylic casing to fabricate the device. The acrylic
casing have been bore with holes for the circuit parts to go
through such as the sensors, LEDs, the GSM antenna and the
Fig 1: Circuit Design for the Device power cord. The device was then furnished as shown in Fig 3.
C. Encasing the Circuitry
The circuit was placed inside a compartment made from
acrylic sheets. The compartment had holes and spaces allotted
for each sensor and the outlet for the power source. The device
was then sealed and furnished with having one side of the
compartment be made removable for future modifications of
the circuit.

Fig 3: The NotiFire Device

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Vol. 7 Issue 04, April-2018

B. Fire Detection Sensors and Response

TABLE 2. Average Scores of the Device
The sensors of the device were tested individually to verify
Average
if they were properly working or not and the maximum Category
Score
distance ranges it can detect the source at a given time for a
particular sensor was determined. The testing shows that all of Usability 8.3
the sensors are working as each sensor’s corresponding LED Aesthetics 7.6
lit up during stimulus. A buzzer connected to the circuit also Functionality 8.1
emits a sound which indicates that the source has been
detected by the device. As shown in Table 2, the score in each category ranges
between 6-8. The device’s usability has the highest average
Each sensor’s maximum distance range was tested and
score of 8.3, functionality having an average score of 8.1 while
recorded in a total of three trials per sensor. As shown in Table
its aesthetics has the lowest of 7.6. The average scores were
1, the flame sensor has an average maximum distance range of
then sorted and classified according to their ranges with
1.17 m while the gas sensor has an average maximum distance
detractors as having average score range of 0-6, passives with
of less than 10 cm. The maximum detection range for the
6-8, and promoters with 9-10. Frequencies of each respondent
temperature sensor was rather small compared to the other
classification were noted and are shown in the figure below to
sensors. This may be due to the fact that the said sensor
determine the Net Promoter Score.
measures the ambient room temperature.
TABLE 1. Maximum distance range of the sensors
Sensor Trial 1 Trial 2 Trial 3 Average

Gas 9.0 cm 8.0 cm 8.0 cm 8.3±0.6 cm

Flame 120 cm 115 cm 117 cm 117±3cm

Temperature 2.4 cm 2.4 cm 2.5 cm 2.4±0.1 cm

C. Device Message Response

The device has been successfully programmed to send a
message to a designated cellphone number using the GSM
module when it detects the source of fire. Each sensor sends a
different message when different indicators of fire are Fig 5. Frequency of Promoters, Passives, and Detractors
detected. Each message depends on the data received and sent
Survey results shows that among the 30 respondents there
by the device as shown in Fig 4.
were 16 promoters, 8 passives and 6 detractors. The calculated
net promoter score of the device is 33% with 20% detractors,
27% passives and 53% promoters. This shows that greater
than half of the population promotes the device and a fifth
population demotes it while the rest of the respondents are
having neutral thoughts about it resulting in a miniscule
possible potential for marketability.
V. CONCLUSIONS
An early fire detection device was successfully developed.
The fabricated device, controlled by an Arduino
microcontroller using flame, gas and temperature sensors, had
its performance successfully evaluated in terms of its
maximum range of detection in a simulated environment. The
maximum range of detection for the flame, temperature, and
gas sensors are 117. cm, 2.43 cm, and 8.33 cm respectively.
From the user satisfaction survey, the device was evaluated
with an average score of 8.3 for usability, 8.1 for functionality
Fig 4: Sample message response from NotiFire
and 7.6 for its aesthetics showing that the device is evaluated
more on its usability and functionality. The device got a net
D. User Satisfaction Survey promoter score of 33% that suggests a possible potential for
A total of 30 respondents from Philippine Science High marketability if the aesthetics is greatly improved.
School – Central Visayas Campus were surveyed. Each
respondent gave the device ratings in terms of usability,
aesthetics and functionality and were recorded. The average
scores of the survey were tabulated and a net promoter score
calculation was performed.

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 Published by : International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT)
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Vol. 7 Issue 04, April-2018

ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The researchers would like to thank as a group Mr. Jayfe
Anthony A. Abrea for providing intellectual support for the
research, Mr. Benito A. Baje for his unending support both
intellectually and morally, Mr. Paul Isaac Dizon for being the
panel of this paper, Mr. Eleazar B. Guia for coordinating the
panel and expediting the completion of the paper, and Mrs.
Arlene V. Cahoy-Agosto for her careful review of the paper as
the research teacher. The researchers would also like to thank
their friends and family for their support.

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