“Community participation is central to how SafeIsland is intended to work, because the app’s value comes from people sharing timely and relevant local observations.In developing the product, we focused particularly on the needs of rural, mountain and other high-risk communities, where local knowledge can be especially valuable. These are often the people who understand the surrounding roads, terrain and environmental conditions best. The launch of SafeIsland is also the beginning of a longer process. We want to receive feedback from communities across Cyprus to understand what works, what needs improvement and which types of information are most useful in practice,” the CEO of Brickworks Games and member of the Techisland Wildfire Committee, Georgy Beloglazov says, while discussing the launch of a new wildfire awareness and community preparedness application, SafeIsland CY.
SafeIsland CY was presented to the public for the first time during an event hosted by the TechIsland Wildfire Initiative on July 23 and is now available to the public as part of an initial pilot phase. Created by Brickworks Games, a member of TechIsland, the free mobile application is designed to improve wildfire awareness and community preparedness by enabling users to report signs of smoke or fire, share photos and short updates, receive alerts about nearby reports and access useful fire-safety information through an interactive map.
The pilot phase is being carried out in collaboration with Kitas Weather, who is administering the platform, supporting the provision of timely updates and assisting with the review and verification of information submitted through the app. The collaboration will also help the team assess how SafeIsland performs in real-life conditions, gather feedback and identify opportunities to strengthen its functionality and operating processes.
Speaking to CBN, Beloglazov, who took part in the app’s development, explains the thinking behind the application, the role of community participation and the ambition to develop it into a broader platform supporting awareness, preparedness and resilience in Cyprus.
TechIsland’s Wildfire Initiative began as a mobilisation against the aftermath of the wildfire, with more than 60 companies and individuals responding within days and raising approximately €2 million. What started as an emergency relief effort has since evolved into a broader programme focused on recovery, prevention, early detection and strengthening the preparedness of local communities.
SafeIsland CY was presented to the public for the first time during an event hosted by TechIsland Wildfire Initiative on July 23. Created by Brickworks Games, a member of TechIsland, the free mobile application is designed to improve wildfire awareness and community preparedness by enabling users to report signs of smoke or fire, share photos and short updates, receive alerts about nearby reports and access useful fire-safety information through an interactive map.
What was the idea behind SafeIsland, and what specific problem does it aim to address?
The idea behind SafeIsland emerged through the work and strategic approach of the TechIsland Wildfire Initiative and from a simple observation: during the first minutes of a wildfire, useful local information is often fragmented. Someone may notice smoke, a blocked road or rapidly changing conditions before that information becomes widely available.
We wanted to explore how technology could help bring these local observations together in a clear and accessible way. SafeIsland allows people to report signs of fire, add a photo or short description and receive alerts about nearby community reports through one interactive map.
It is important to emphasise that SafeIsland is not a replacement for emergency services, official warnings or established communication channels. It is an additional awareness tool that can help communities access and share relevant local information quickly and responsibly.
How important was it for you to involve the community in the design and use of the app?
Community participation is central to how SafeIsland is intended to work, because the app’s value comes from people sharing timely and relevant local observations.
In developing the product, we focused particularly on the needs of rural, mountain and other high-risk communities, where local knowledge can be especially valuable. These are often the people who understand the surrounding roads, terrain and environmental conditions best.
The launch of SafeIsland is also the beginning of a longer process. We want to receive feedback from communities across Cyprus to understand what works, what needs improvement and which types of information are most useful in practice.
At the same time, responsible use is essential. The app encourages users to provide clear and accurate information and consistently reminds them to contact the authorities whenever there is immediate danger.
This is also one of the reasons why the collaboration with Kitas Weather is important during the pilot phase. Their team is administering the platform, supporting timely updates and assisting with the review and verification of information submitted through the app. Community participation remains at the heart of SafeIsland, but it needs to be combined with responsible processes around how information is reviewed and presented to users.
The pilot gives us an opportunity to learn how that combination works in practice and to improve it based on feedback from communities and users across Cyprus.
How do you envision SafeIsland evolving over the next 3 to 5 years in Cyprus and potentially other regions?
Our first priority is to make SafeIsland a genuinely useful, responsible and reliable tool for Cyprus.
Over the next three to five years, we would like to develop it based on feedback from users, local communities and relevant institutions. This could include broader and more accurate safety-related map data, more precise alerts and closer cooperation with municipalities, community organisations and public authorities.
The collaborative model behind the TechIsland Wildfire Initiative is particularly relevant here. Technology companies can contribute expertise and product-development capabilities, while communities, specialists and public institutions can provide the practical knowledge required to ensure that tools are relevant to real needs. Our collaboration with Kitas Weather during the pilot phase is an example of this approach in practice: combining the technology developed by Brickworks Games with local expertise and hands-on platform administration to help us learn how SafeIsland can operate effectively and responsibly.
In the longer term, we see the potential for SafeIsland to expand beyond wildfire awareness and cover other natural hazards and emergency situations, including earthquakes and severe weather events.
The broader goal is to develop a community-safety platform that helps people in Cyprus access and share timely, relevant information about different types of risk. Any possible expansion to other regions would need to be carefully adapted to their local conditions, institutions and emergency-response systems.
What does it mean to you that this is a ‘Cyprus-built’ tool for Cypriots, and how does that shape its tone and purpose?
It means that the application was created in response to a challenge that people in Cyprus understand very personally.
Wildfire risk is not an abstract issue here. It affects villages, mountain communities, families, businesses, infrastructure and the natural environment.
Being built in Cyprus gives SafeIsland a practical and grounded purpose. It has been designed around the island’s geography, communities and local realities, rather than treating Cyprus as a generic market.
Its tone is deliberately clear, responsible and community-oriented. SafeIsland is not about presenting technology as a solution on its own. Technology is only useful when it responds to a genuine need and complements the work of communities, experts and public authorities.
For us, this project represents an opportunity to apply local technological expertise in support of preparedness, awareness and resilience for everyone who lives in or visits Cyprus.
How has the app been tested in real-life wildfire conditions in Cyprus?
Before launch, our focus was on testing the reliability of the application’s core technical functions, including reporting, map-based information and nearby notifications.
SafeIsland has now entered an initial pilot phase, which is an important next step in understanding how the platform performs in real-life conditions in Cyprus. This phase is being carried out in collaboration with Kitas Weather, which is administering the platform, supporting timely updates and assisting with the review and verification of information submitted through the app.
Together with TechIsland and Kitas Weather, we will use this period to observe how people interact with the platform, gather structured feedback from users and relevant stakeholders, and identify where its functionality, content and operating processes can be strengthened.
It would not, however, be accurate to say that SafeIsland has already been formally tested as part of operational emergency-response procedures during an active wildfire. SafeIsland remains an awareness tool and does not replace emergency services, official warnings or instructions from the authorities.
Any future testing or cooperation involving active incidents, emergency services or public authorities would need to take place under clearly agreed safety, data-protection and operational procedures.
Our approach is to be transparent about the app’s current role, learn from its use during the pilot phase and develop it carefully in cooperation with the relevant stakeholders.
Download SafeIsland CY:
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/cy/app/safeisland-cy/id6762454857
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.cy.island.safe
