The town of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA is working with firefighters in training to help protect critical infrastructure such as cell towers in the area. Taking a proactive stance, they feel, is the first step and have begun working with Pano AI to spot and stop potential wildfires before they cause widespread damage. As Daily Breeze reports, Pano AI would set up a camera system that is trained to look for wisps of smoke that could signal the start of a fire. The system can monitor a large area and quickly relay information about possible wildfire threats.
“Residents deserve this kind of added protection,” said Larry Maizlish, Chairman of the city’s Emergency Preparedness Committee. He joined the City Council in the unanimous decision to enter talks with Pano AI. “They are the only vendor with this level of tech backed by actual humans to minimize false alerts,” he said. “No other solution comes close to this level of wildfire detection. And they can get their system up and running for us in time for this year’s high fire season.”
Although Rancho Palos Verdes is prepared to move ahead on its own, there is talk of addressing wildfire mitigation efforts on a peninsula-wide level. “We all have our unique and individual interests and concerns,” said City Manager, Ara Mihranian. “We also have overlapping and common interests, especially when it comes to public safety and the emphasis on wildfire prevention.”
The geographic benefit of neighboring communities looking out for each other also has financial implications. On its own, Rancho Palos Verdes could expect to pay $140,000 for the first year of its contract with Pano AI. Costs for future years would be negotiated at a later date. City Staff informed Daily Breeze that $125,000 of that cost could get picked up by American Rescue Plan Act funds. Pano AI said that it would foot the bill for the $50,000 needed to build two standalone camera stations.
Officials in Rancho Palos Verdes have said they are interested in coordinating with three other towns that occupy the peninsula. It is estimated that the cost to cover the broader area would be approximately $298,000 with monitoring coming from a total of six camera stations.
As Rancho Palos Verdes Councilman John Cruikshank noted, “Them [the other peninsula towns] paying nothing doesn’t seem right, and I bet at the end of the day they will come forward and all three will realize the benefit.”
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