Three final-year students of the University of Malawi (UNIMA) Nelson Chimpwafu, Dinah Mateyo and Jonathan Kalumo have invented an Automatic Fire Extinguisher System, designed to protect families in hazardous environments.
The student’s representative Jonathan Kalumo, 27 from Wasi Village, Traditional Authority Mthiramanja in Mulanje, has stated that the alert safety system utilises advanced fire sensor, gas sensor, the LCD screen, the Global System for Mobile (GSM) Module and the microcontroller to detect potential fire hazards with unprecedented accuracy.
Kalumo who is studying Bachelor of Science in electronics, told ProjectM that these detectors are essential safety devices because they provide early warning of a fire or smoke and transmit a signal or notification to alert people in the house which helps them quickly locate and save their lives and property.
He said they came up with the design due to increased risk of fire incidents in the country and beyond which necessitated them to take a step further to provide security to families in need, ensuring that no one in the country dies of fire related incidents.
According to him, this innovative system will be crucial in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of the protection measures, highlighting their contributions to public safety.
He said: “It is a big concern to us as students seeing people dying and property being lost in the process due to fire accidents. There are a lot of fire accidents that have happened in our country. This innovative circuit provides a reliable and user-friendly solution to solve problems.”
On how it works, the innovator said apart from the sensors, the system has got a water reservouir and the pump, and in the case of fire, the alert system detects whatever is happening then it finally sends the alarm to the microcontroller which triggers the signal to the water pump and starts automatically pumping water to the affected areas.
The young enthusiast adds that the system was designed for household use with about K160,000 used to develop the concept.
As proponents of this initiative, he further stated that many youths in the universities have good ideas which could take this country to the next level.
But the biggest challenge is that such innovative projects are not given the much-needed support to accelerate their innovation and realise potential growth plans to thrive in today’s fast-paced world.
He then emphasised the role of leaders to cultivate a conducive environment that promotes productivity while also addressing the personal well-being of youths in the country.
These students deserve to be recognised as university heroes, for their exceptional impact.
