AlertTahoe system to get final two Lake Tahoe fire cameras

Over 50 possible major forest firest have been prevented in the Lake Tahoe Basin since the AlertTahoe camera system was installed around the lake over the last four years. The combination of technology, human observation and firefighters on the ground kept those small fires contained to a space of less than one acre.

Installed by Dr. Graham Kent and technicians from the University of Nevada Reno, 11 cameras have been installed in the Basin to date, with another 17 on peaks in the Sierra, Northern Nevada and Oroville. One of the mobile camera systems was taken to the Mendocino Complex Fire last week by Dr. Kent to help them evaluate the fire.

The system takes the idea of the manned fire lookouts once located in vulnerable forests and adds heat sensors and long distance cameras, all which can be viewed from any computer by fire officials at any location. It is a system of networked sensors designed to protect the Lake Tahoe Basin from catastrophic wildfires, earthquakes, and other natural hazards. The sensors are on cameras installed around the Tahoe Basin, on an independent network that remains connected even during emergencies or outages. These cameras sense smoke or catch wildfires and alert firefighters before the fires spread beyond a containable distance.

During Tuesday's Lake Tahoe Summit, Dr. Kent broke the news that they got the last bit of funding to install the last two cameras around Lake Tahoe, one at DL Bliss State Park/Emerald Bay and the other at Fallen Leaf Lake.

“Much needed upgrades and two additional cameras are now possible with a recent grant of $226,000 from the U.S. Forest Service and another $42,500 from the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation – with an added $55,000 endowment in matching funds for ongoing maintenance,” Kent said during his presentation.

“This generous endowment fund ensures that repairs and upgrades can be made in future years as federal funding is uncertain,” stated Heidi Hill Drum, CEO
of the Tahoe Prosperity Center, the organization that funded many of the elevent cameras in the system.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center has been a major supporter of the AlertTahoe system since 2015 because of the benefits the early detection has for communities, the environment and economy.

The public can see the camera view on the Alert Tahoe website, http://www.alertwildfire.org/tahoe/firecams.html.

Because of the success of AlertTahoe, other communities are building their own systems, including Sonoma and San Diego.