Utilities and public departments across the United States are using sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) tech to monitor for wildfires and Anchorage, Alaska is among the latest to follow suit.
The Anchorage Fire Department and Chugach Electric have adopted a new automated monitoring system for the Anchorage Hillside, Alaska’s News Source reported. So far, the fire department has installed 25 FIRE-SPY systems from GRIDWIDE – an “always on” monitoring solution installed on overhead transformers. The system monitors and detects flames, smoke, gas, temperature, and humidity. When an abnormal condition is detected, an automated alert is sent to operators and first responders.
Chugach Electric paid $50,000 for the monitors, their software, and the installation, according to Alaska’s News Source. The sensors have been operating for roughly two months, and the Anchorage Fire Department told Alaska’s News Source that several sensors have already sent out alerts and crews were dispatched to investigate.
But across the country, other wildfire mitigation measures are proving their value.
Last week, remote utility cameras powered by artificial intelligence helped identify the early makings of a wildfire before it spread in Colorado.
Cameras installed by Xcel Energy and CORE Electric Cooperative detected wildfire smoke caused by a lightning strike on June 16. Within 30 minutes of the identification, emergency services dispatched two helicopters to the fire when it was .25 acres. The helicopters dropped 17,765 gallons of water on the fire over the next six hours, limiting the wildfire to three acres.
The utilities said their wildfire camera system, provided by Pano AI, identified the wildfire “simultaneously” with the U.S. Forest Service.
Pano AI cameras provide remote, 360-degree views and use AI to detect smoke plumes within minutes of a fire starting. Fire notifications are sent to CORE and local fire agencies, providing critical information, including precision triangulation, to give emergency responders a specific location. Pano AI also has partnerships with Portland General Electric, Austin Energy, and Holy Cross Energy.
Earlier this year, Xcel acknowledged its role in the Smokehouse Creek Fire which burned more than 1 million acres. Xcel said a fallen utility pole appeared to have been involved in the ignition of the wildfire, which was the largest in Texas history. The utility, however, denied accusations of negligence.
Further West, Hawaii’s electric utility, which is still recovering from wildfires that killed more than 200 people and damaged more than 2,000 buildings last year, is deploying high-resolution cameras equipped with artificial intelligence for early wildfire detection.
Hawaiian Electric is installing two high-resolution cameras at 78 locations across the five islands. The cameras will provide the utility with a full 360-degree view of areas with elevated wildfire risk and can be accessed by the public.
Hawaiian Electric signed a five-year contract with ALERTWest, which was developed in collaboration with UC San Diego’s ALERTCalifornia team, California utilities, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The utility said about half of the $14 million project cost will be covered by federal grants for wildfire mitigation under the bipartisan infrastructure law.
ALERTWest’s software platform is assisted by AI to detect smoke and other early indications of a fire in real time. The company recently partnered with the University of Oregon and the University of Nevada, Reno, creating the largest publicly available, interoperable, AI wildfire detection system in the United States.
