Final piece of the Lake Tahoe fire camera network now in place

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - What would happen if fire-fighting agencies could stop a wildfire before it gains momentum and wipes out homes, communities and/or forests? That is being answered with well over 100 fire cameras now in place across the west, all because of foresight of Dr. Graham Kent, the Director of the Nevada Seismological Laboratory at the University of Nevada Reno (UNR).

Creating a network of firefighting techniques for the 21st century started in 2003 when Kent and his wife Stephanie (both South Tahoe High graduates) were living in San Diego when the Cedar Fire came too close for comfort and destroyed the homes of neighbors. When they moved to Reno the plans to create the network of fire cameras in Lake Tahoe started to become reality and they hit the fundraising trail to fund the system, named AlertTahoe.

AlertTahoe is a system of networked cameras designed to protect the entire Tahoe region from catastrophic wildfires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters. These cameras sense smoke, catch wildfires and alert firefighters before the fires spread beyond a containable distance. Each is a high-definition near-infrared night capable fire camera.

Finding a fire ten minutes early can turn out to be the difference between life and death, a one-acre fire and a major wildfire.

The Alert Wildfire network was conceived, developed and implemented at the Nevada Seismological Lab. The UNR team got two of these cameras in place before joining up with the Tahoe Prosperity Center and Heidi Hill Drum, it's executive director. With their efforts, the last nine cameras have been installed, completing a circle around Lake Tahoe of the AlertTahoe system.

During the recent unveiling of the 11th and final camera above D.L. Bliss State Park, Dr. Kent said what people don't see are the thousand people working behind the scenes to make the Alert Tahoe system happen, the real heroes. These include the funders, those getting permits, camera techs, installers, weather monitors among that team.

At this 11th installation kickoff were many parts of that team, including the Tahoe Prosperity Center, the Parasol Foundation, California State Parks and the installers.

"California State Parks is really excited about this partnership because cameras like this one at D.L. Bliss makes early detection of wildfire possible and are a key component to public safety," said Silver Hartman, an environmental scientist who is the coordinator for the Sierra District of California State Parks.

Over the last 18 months, she helped the camera team with their CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) and permitting for this last spot which gives a camera view into the canyon between Heavenly Mountain Resort and Job's Peak.

This final camera installation filled the viewing gap and now gives a full view of the Basin with each of the 11 cameras strategically placed. The tenth camera is installed at Fallen Leaf Lake but not yet hooked up.

Each camera is painted "TRPA Brown" said Dr. Kent. They take relatively little space once installed on top of a concrete pad.

The public can see the view the cameras provide at http://www.alertwildfire.org. Navigate to the region desired.

Successes

To date, the Alert Tahoe system has stopped 56 fires in the Lake Tahoe basin since the cameras were installed. Firefighters were notified and a quick response kept all of them under an acre in size.

A camera view of the 2017 Lilac Fire in San Diego provided fire chiefs with the knowledge of conditions to move 43 fire engines to where they were needed, thus preventing even further damage than it was already responsible for.

Dr. Kent said the response of engines sent to a fire could cost up to $90,000 and if knowledge allows officials to send to the right spot, the $25,000 camera pays for itself with one incident.

The network uses solar power on their private wifi network to operate.

Funding

Each camera has a story, said Dr.Kent. Each has been funded through different supporters to contribute to the $25,000 price tag. Sometimes the installation is higher, sometimes lower, depending on terrain, infrastructure and if a helicopter is needed to drop in the equipment.

The Tahoe Prosperity Center and worked with funders to get the system completed. The Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation (Parasol) took on the last two cameras and have created an endowment to maintain all of them. Parasol is matching donations dollar-for-dollar, up to $55,000, for the AlertTahoe Maintenance Endowment Fund.

To donate, visit https://www.parasol.org/index.php/new-media/71-support-fire-cameras-in-the-tahoe-basin.

Expanding Beyond Lake Tahoe - Alert Wildfire

Beyond Lake Tahoe, there are now systems being placed in San Diego, Los Angeles/Orange County, the North Coast, Shasta/Modoc, South/East Bay Area, North Bay Area, Inland Empire, Sierra Foothills, Central Coast, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.

There are almost 200 cameras installed to date or in final planning stages with another 800 needed to meet Kent's goal of 1000 cameras to help protect communities against catastrophic wildfire.

All cameras in the network can be accessed at http://www.alertwildfire.org.

A side benefit of the cameras can help viewers look at weather and conditions prior to heading out.

Crowdsourcing

The Orange County alert system has a team of 150 volunteers that watch the cameras during certain weather conditions that can cause fires to get out of control. Dr. Kent said this type of volunteer base along with a funding base is "extremely critical and the pivotal piece."

At this time the only people watching and controlling the Tahoe cameras are fire chiefs, US Forest Service and other key firefighting personnel.