SAN DIEGO — The future of fighting wildfires is here. Artificial intelligence is helping firefighters detect smoke and the technology is already being used in California.
Responding to a fire quickly can mean the difference between a small brush fire or a catastrophic wildfire. Now AI is being used to help spot fires before humans can.
The company Pano AI has deployed their technology in six states, including California.
"We mount ultra high definition security cameras on mountaintop locations on cell towers. We rotate the cameras 360 degrees every minute to look for the first wisps of smoke," said Sonia Kastner, the founder of Pano AI.
Kastner says their algorithm helps AI identify smoke early on and decipher it between clouds or dust. The detection is verified by a human before it's passed along to first responders.
"Makes it easier for emergency managers to coordinate with each other. Make smart decisions and get to the fire faster to nip it in the bud before it becomes a mega fire," she said.
She says only one in 20 emergency calls for wildfires are true wildfires but all 20 of those calls must be investigated. The AI technology helps cut down on false alarms and prevents wasting resources. Right now CAL Fire is using AI. They have cameras in Riverside and San Bernardino County that can detect abnormalities like smoke.
"We're able to get instant situational awareness with what's going on with these fires. If they point the camera in and the fire looks like it's a large black column in the middle of nowhere then we're going to send a lot of resources immediately," said Michael Cornette, a fire captain for CAL Fire.
Pano AI says it's continuing to expand and is rolling out in Rancho Palos Verdes. As for San Diego, it’s not up and running right now, however, CAL Fire is working alongside SDSU on the technology.
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