VIDEO/PHOTOS: As Oregon prepares for another potentially dangerous wildfire season, utilities and fire agencies across the state are increasingly using artificial intelligence and other advanced technology to help detect fires faster and improve response times.
That includes AI-powered wildfire cameras, predictive weather modeling, and a new aircraft expected to help identify possible fire starts after lightning storms.
Portland General Electric (PGE) says it now operates nearly 40 AI-powered wildfire detection cameras across higher-risk areas of its service territory.
According to PGE spokesperson John Farmer, the cameras use AI-powered algorithms designed to distinguish between smoke, fog, mist and other conditions. Farmer said the goal is to help crews respond faster during the critical first moments of a wildfire.
“What this does is this speeds up the initial attack time on the fire and really getting after it quickly,” said Farmer. PGE says some fire chiefs and emergency managers receive direct notifications from the system when smoke is detected, allowing crews to quickly identify the location of a possible fire start.
The company says it began installing the cameras in 2021 with only a handful of units before rapidly expanding the network after seeing “immediate value” in the technology.
