Written by Stephanie Elam
(CNN) — Firefighters want to do everything they can to put out the blaze before it turns into an inferno. The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection announced it has introduced a new tool to extinguish wildfires before they explode: artificial intelligence.
“I think this is a game changer… It increases our ability to validate situational awareness and respond quickly,” Philip Selig, chief of staff for fire information at Cal Fire, told CNN.
A fire broke out in the middle of a July night deep in the wilderness of the Cleveland National Forest in San Diego County, California. There were no fire department personnel at the scene, but AI monitored the incident and alerted authorities.
“The local command center was unaware of the fire,” said Scott Slumpf, a battalion chief with Cal Fire’s intelligence program who was testing new technology at the time and received the first alert.
Cal Fire is partnering with the University of California, San Diego’s Alert California program and a network of more than 1,000 cameras installed across the state to utilize this technology to detect fires early.
“The camera has completed 360 degree shooting [degree turn], identified the anomaly, stopped and zoomed in,” Slumpf explained. He then confirmed it was a fire and immediately dispatched personnel. “They were able to keep it to 10×10.” [foot] Find it in the middle of the forest. ”
Without AI detection, “that fire would have been a major fire the next morning,” SeLegue said.
Cameras are usually mounted on mountains for a high vantage point and constantly scan their surroundings on two-minute rotations. The AI searches for changes and highlights them with a red rectangular box on the screen.
“When the camera system detects an anomaly, it raises a red flag because it’s a different version of the last image,” said Dean Bake, Alert California’s fire department liaison and retired firefighter. “I’m mainly looking for smoke.”
The camera itself is not new. Cal Fire has been using it for fire monitoring for years.they again publicly accessible: Anyone can monitor the network of observation huts to see real-time weather conditions and catch a glimpse of curious creatures like bald eagles that use the towers as perches.
Even after detecting smoke, Cal Fire continues to monitor video streams to monitor the fire’s “situational awareness,” where it is heading and whether it is “penetrating critical infrastructure.” , SeLegue said. Law enforcement can also use it to identify suspected arsonists.
The pilot program was so successful that Cal Fire expanded the technology to all 21 dispatch centers across the state in early September.
“Our goal as an agency is to keep 95% of fires under 10 acres, so this tool increases our ability to ensure fires are small and contained in the early stages,” SeLegue said. said, adding that it can be seen on camera. Approximately 110 miles during the day and 110 miles at night. “There have been multiple successful cases where overnight fires have gone undetected and been extinguished before a 911 call was received by the command center.”
According to Cal Fire, 40% of fires since July 10 were detected by AI before a 911 call was received, and the technology continues to learn and improve.
Alert California’s Brian Norton, who worked for the fire department for 35 years, said the system is exploring the impending changes. Sometimes it’s smoke from wildfires. It can also be something harmless, such as fog or dust.
The key is to teach the AI the difference.
“The learning part of it involves human intervention to say, ‘That looked like smoke, but that wasn’t smoke.’ It was dust,” Norton told CNN. “That way, the next time the camera catches something, you’re less likely to say it’s smoke.”
Traditionally, staff at dispatch centers have had to endlessly watch video feeds looking for “the needle in the haystack,” Slumpf said. With authorities constantly scanning perhaps hundreds of feeds at once, “eye fatigue” was a constant concern.
Now, with the help of AI, they spend their time focusing on the anomalies detected by the technology.
There are also watchtowers throughout the state, some staffed by fire personnel and others staffed by volunteers. Bill Angell, a volunteer with the Forest Fire Watch Association, is in his second season monitoring wildfires at Bucher Hill Watchtower in San Diego County. His tower is just a few yards away from where the communication tower cameras are located.
AI technology has “enhanced fire detection, but we still need humans,” he said, looking out over the vast valley below, often with binoculars in his eyes. “When lightning strikes the tower, they go blind, but we are here.”
Firefighters agree, confident that this new technology will make a difference and won’t threaten human jobs.
“There is no substitute for boots on the ground,” Slumpf said. “In my opinion, we can definitely save lives and property.”
“The biggest successes are the fires you don’t hear about on the news,” Selig said.
CNN Wire
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