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New AI camera set up in AZ to detect wildfires
Artificial intelligence is helping crews fight wildfires in Arizona, and it's part of a coordinated effort to stop the spread of such fires in some of the state's most remote areas. FOX 10's Nicole Krasean reports.
PHOENIX - New technology is helping fight fires here in Arizona, as part of a coordinated effort to stop the spread of wildfires in some of the state's more remote areas.
Big picture view:
In a state where wildfire season is practically year-round now, the new technology is giving firefighters a birds-eye view of potential fire starts.
"The weather is part of it, the fuels that are out there, when I say fuels I'm talking about grass, I'm talking about dried trees, the fact of the matter is the persistent drought has caused those fuels to be very receptive to wildfire this year," said Thomas Torres, director of the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
"Now that we've had our record-breaking February and March, we're actually four to six weeks ahead of time on our normal curing of the vegetation," said John Truett, fire management officer for the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management.
Local perspective:
A new dispatch center in north Phoenix, considered a game changer, is more than doubling the ability to dispatch units for the firefight.
"I'm talking aircraft, I'm talking firefighters, I'm talking engines, both from within the state and other resources outside of the state," Torres said.
In addition to the new dispatch center, a new technology operating inside that dispatch center that's giving crews a new way to monitor blazes.
"This is one of the [panoramic] cameras that caught one of the prescribed burns that we have up north going on right now," an official said.
AI-powered cameras, now positioned at seven remote locations across the state, offer 360 degree views, detecting smoke and other possible fire start signs.
"Our populated areas, we always have the 911 calls coming in, so now we have our cameras out in more strategic areas and remote areas to where we have the fire starts, so we can detect earlier, get an earlier response and actually gives us a situational awareness," Truett said. "Now we can visually see what's going on out there, which helps us tremendously."
The Source: Information for this article was gathered by FOX 10's Nicole Krasean.