FEMA GRANTS CAL OES AND SONOMA COUNTY $2M FOR WILDFIRE DETECTION
SYSTEM
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210318/fema-grants-cal-oes-and-sonoma-county-2m-wildfire-detection-system]


Release Date: 
February 3, 2020 

Oakland, Calif. – The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has
granted $2 million to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency
Services (Cal OES) and Sonoma County for long-range, fire detection
cameras. Mounted high on towers, the cameras will alert emergency
officials of potential wildfires by constantly surveying Sonoma County
and portions of Mendocino, Lake, Napa, and Marin counties for smoke
and fire in order to prevent the loss of life, property, and economic
damage.

Twenty-seven high-definition cameras will be mounted on 17
strategically-selected, high elevation towers capable of detecting
smoke and fire from as far away as 60 miles during the day and 150
miles at night using infrared technology. Once a wildfire is detected,
the system will email or text data and images to Sonoma County and CAL
FIRE dispatch centers. Auxiliary cameras will monitor ongoing fires
and continue searching for additional outbreaks.

Completion of the project will enable emergency personnel to send
life-saving evacuation warnings to residents and mobilize firefighting
resources to critical locations to fight, contain, and stop the
fire’s spread.

The $2.7 million Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) project will
be funded by a $2 million grant from FEMA, with non-federal sources
covering the $700,000 balance.

FEMA’s HMGP helps states, territories, federally-recognized tribes,
local communities and certain private, non-profit organizations become
more resilient to potential infrastructure damage and reduce future
disaster costs. In the past 30 years, FEMA has invested more than $1.3
billion to reduce disaster risk in California.

 

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