Colorado approves fire monitoring scheme
The program would see camera stations set up to monitor the risk of wildfires, and evaluate the technology’s potential
The Colorado Senate Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources unanimously passed a US$2 million bill on 26 January to establish a remote camera technology pilot program for the monitoring of wildfires.
The bill has advanced to the Colorado Senate Appropriations Committee, where it will be scrutinized further.
The program would be run by the Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting – a subordinate agency of the state’s Department of Public Safety. It would involve the creation of 40 static camera stations, as well as six mobile stations capable of being relocated to monitor active fires. The scheme will evaluate whether the technology will be rolled out across the state.
The system is expected to employ artificial intelligence (AI) technology to aid in the identification of fires, and automatically notify firefighters when smoke is detected. The Center’s Director, Ben Miller, expressed interest in the AI technology during a senate hearing, explaining: “The more you train the model, the better and better it gets.”
Similar systems employing AI video monitoring are already being implemented in high-risk regions of California, Colorado, Nevada and Oregon.
Technology is also being fitted to drones, with the aim of offering firefighters an ‘eye in the sky’. The global market for autonomous firefighting drones is expected to reach a value of $8.98 billion in the coming decade.