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New ‘Blaulicht’ issue: Heavy rainfall in real time
The June issue of the fire service magazine ‘Blaulicht’ features the KIRAS project FloodPrep, which aims to support emergency responders and authorities before, during, and after heavy rainfall events. This is to be achieved through coupled simulations – in real time. The article explains why heavy rainfall is so challenging, how the project actively involves…
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FireWISE as a game changer in wildfire operations
The latest issue of the emergency services magazine “Blaulicht” offers insights into another DCNA project: FireWISE – Knowledge Management for Humans and Machines of the Austrian Fire Service – a game-changer in wildfire operations. FireWISE demonstrated the functionality of a novel knowledge management system using the wildfire use case. This system maps the dynamics and…
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New DCNA-project: TOPOKAT
A new project within DCNA started in late April 2026: TOPOKAT aims to systematically map, model, visualize, and analyze the research and (higher) education landscape in the field of crisis and disaster research in Austria. A comprehensive overview of this kind is currently not available. In addition to analyzing actors, collaborations, and research topics, the…
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Welcome to the team, Clemens Könczöl!
We are pleased to welcome Clemens Könczöl as a new member of the DCNA team! As an industrial and organizational psychologist, he focuses on the human factor in safety-critical areas. He completed his psychology studies at the University of Graz and has since conducted research in numerous projects across various sectors, including aviation, medicine, robotics,…
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Hazardous Chemicals in Tunnels: “Blaulicht”-Article on CHEMATUN
How do hazardous chemicals such as gases spread in tunnels, and how can emergency responders meet these challenges? An article in the new issue of the fire service magazine “Blaulicht” addresses this question. While extensive experience exists for fires based on real-life incidents, experiments, and drills, a critical knowledge gap exists regarding the release of…
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Looking back at 2025: The DCNA Annual Report
For the DCNA, 2025 was once again a year of networking among a wide range of stakeholders – from science and emergency response organizations to administration, politics, and the business sector. We were able to further expand our communication formats – such as the DCNA podcast – and the DCNA Young Scientists program, and the…
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Welcome to the network: FOUR PAWS International
We are pleased to welcome another associated member to our network: FOUR PAWS International FOUR PAWS is the global animal welfare organisation for animals under direct human influence, which reveals suffering, rescues animals in need and protects them. Founded in 1988 in Vienna by Heli Dungler, the organisation advocates for a world where humans treat…
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New DCNA member: nast consulting
We are delighted to welcome nast consulting ZT GmbH as a new member of the network! nast consulting provides services in the areas of transportation, spatial planning, environment, and infrastructure. Their transportation services focus on traffic counts, traffic concepts, traffic analyses and forecasts, traffic models and simulations, and road safety assessments (RSI/RSA). In spatial planning,…
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RT-VitalMonitor – Monitoring the vital signs of emergency personnel (“Blaulicht” magazine)
The new issue of the fire service magazine Blaulicht not only covers the recent record-breaking onset of winter weather, but also high-tech monitoring of the vital signs of emergency personnel. This monitoring is the core of the FORTE project “RT-VitalMonitor” by JOANNEUM RESEARCH (JR), which for the first time provides objective, real-time data on the physical condition of emergency…
