Members of the public can now view video feeds from artificial-intelligence-assisted cameras placed in 21 high-risk wildfire locations around Washington.
The cameras have been in place since 2023 as part of a $2.5 million five-year agreement between the California-based company Pano AI and the Department of Natural Resources. But until this week, the live video was not publicly available.
The department said Monday that five additional cameras would be installed and brought online this year.
“We’re proud to support the Washington DNR’s vision for wildfire safety, and we are proud to offer this new public sharing functionality to our customers,” said Sonia Kastner, co-founder and CEO of Pano AI.
Washington still has 93 fire lookouts. While some are seasonally staffed by the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, or volunteer groups, the Department of Natural Resources no longer depends on people in the lookout towers for fire detection.
Legislation passed in 2021 gave the Department of Natural Resources funding to enact its 10-year wildland fire protection strategic plan, which included new investments to aid in early fire detection.
The Pano AI cameras use a 360-degree field of vision and relay high-definition footage of potential fire starts to a team of around-the-clock Pano AI staff.
Based on the footage, the Pano AI team can alert the Department of Natural Resources about emerging incidents.
The pilot project has so far been successful in identifying fires on both sides of the state and allowing firefighters to respond quickly, the Department of Natural Resources said.
“Early detection is a key part of DNR’s wildfire rapid response model, and now Washingtonians can peek behind the scenes at how part of that detection process works,” said state forester George Geissler, who oversees wildfire management at the department.
The camera feeds can be viewed through the Department of Natural Resources’ “Wildfire Watch” website.
The department warned Monday that it anticipates state budget cuts could limit spending on fire detection technology going forward.
Public Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove said innovations like Pano AI’s cameras are a key part of the state’s strategy for dealing with worsening fire conditions. He promised to continue working with the state Legislature to secure additional funding.
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