Wildfires are an ever-present threat in Colorado. And those that grow and spread quickly are becoming more common – and more destructive.   

But there’s a piece of technology that could help spot a blaze in the earliest stages, before it spreads.  

Cameras equipped with artificial intelligence can detect plumes of smoke in the air – even in remote areas – and alert firefighters nearby. This makes AI cameras a valuable tool for the few fire departments that already use them.  

But the cameras are expensive. Each one costs about $50,000 dollars per year. And so far, Colorado lawmakers have been hesitant to fund wider use of the cameras.  

The Aspen Fire Department began using AI detection cameras in 2021, after a donor supplied money to buy them. There are now nine of these cameras in the surrounding Roaring Fork Valley – and Aspen Fire Chief Rick Balentine thinks Colorado firefighters should be using more of them.  

He recently testified at a hearing for the most recent bill state legislators are considering, which would help fund more of these cameras throughout the state.  

Rick joined Erin O’Toole to explain how the technology works, starting from the moment when a camera thinks it might have spotted a plume of smoke in the distance.

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Producer: Ariel Lavery
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.