Out in the vast Idaho wilderness, dozens of cameras linked to an AI software network are used as digital lookout towers for fires.
“ It takes a picture every couple minutes, a full 360 panoramic photograph every few minutes,” said Kane Steinbruecker, the chief fire warden of the Clearwater-Potlatch Timber Protective Association, “and it compares it to the one it took previously, and scans it for any kind of anomaly that might be out there.”
His firefighting agency has access to the Idaho Department of National Lands AI camera network.
A flagged image of a smoke column or a lightning strike is sent to a command center in California, where a person double-checks it before emergency resources are sent out, he said, adding that the technology is most helpful when it’s dark.
“ A lot of times we get lightning storms that go through in the middle of the night, and there's not people out recreating, folks aren't out there working at that time, but the cameras are still out there,” Steinbruecker said.
Despite not catching any fires the first year they were installed, he said the cameras have been learning over time and getting better at detecting fires every season. Last summer, he said the cameras caught six fires early, and he’s hoping for a safe season this year.
But letting fires burn, especially in remote areas away from homes and people, could have safety benefits according to recent research from Nature Communications.
Mark Kreider – a coauthor on the paper – is a postdoctoral scientist working with the U.S. Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station.
“That burn scar, once that fire burns, the following year, it’s going to be a great sort of line that can help stop fires in the future,” he said.
Kreider studies how prescribed fires can be most effective at preventing or reducing wildfire, and said allowing fires to burn to clear out underbrush and dense areas of forest could curb future wildfire risks.
But he acknowledged that it’s a tough call for people on the fires to make.
“I think fire managers are constantly having to juggle this trade off of short term risk versus long term risk,” he said.
Gov. Brad Little said this week that Idaho is in a strong position as the state faces a potentially significant wildfire season.
Idaho has invested in prevention efforts in recent years, like prescribed burns and actively logging forests, said Little, at an event on the Idaho Capitol steps on Tuesday. The state department of lands has hired more than 260 firefighters to extinguish blazes as they pop up.
Still, the governor said people need to take personal responsibility to avoid starting a potentially devastating fire.
“Be careful with [campfires]. Follow local restrictions. Properly maintained trailers and equipment. Avoid activities that can create sparks during high risk conditions,” said Little.
Humans cause almost 85% of all wildfires in the United States.
State lawmakers set aside $38 million for fire suppression, which Little said will run out if the intensity or length of the season are above average.
This summer’s wildfire season for Idaho and Montana is predicted to be hotter than normal, according to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center.
James Dawson contributed to this reporting.
