February 1, 2008
Laguna Beach launches a new video surveillance system to catch wilderness fires early
In an effort to contain the wildfires that plague Laguna Beach (along with the rest of Southern California) during the dry season, the Bureau of Land Management gave the California Fire Safe Council a grant to implement a wireless video surveillance system in the wilderness areas around Laguna Beach. The system will cover over 20 square miles of vulnerable green belts, parks and other open spaces around the city to catch fires quickly, before they spread and destroy homes. Fifteen years ago, a fire that started around Laguna Canyon Road grew to burn 391 homes and burn over 16,680 acres in the Laguna Beach Urban area. And after the wildfires that recently devastated San Diego County, a video surveillance system for fire prevention purposes never seemed so timely.
The wireless network uses Sony cameras on collapsible fiberglass poles, which are strategically placed in the chaparral, or the 8 to 10-foot tall trees and scrub most likely to catch alight. Park rangers, public safety officials and water utility employees monitor and maintain the system, which uses solar-powered transmitters and batteries for backup. And while the network was not complete in time for the Santa Ana wind fire season, the California Fire Safe Council expects the system to be finished by the end of this month. The CFSC selected Tropos Networks to create the system because of their New Orleans video surveillance and communications network, which remained functional through Hurricane Katrina.
Read the press release about the fire surveillance system here.
Posted by Jennifer on February 1, 2008 10:28 PM | Comments (0)
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