Napa County declines Fire Boss planes for the 2021 wildfire season napavalleyregister.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from napavalleyregister.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Napa County might use a high-tech system to try to detect fires soon after ignition, with the hope an early warning gives firefighters the jump they need to prevent raging, massive wildfires.
Ten or so poles topped with the artificial intelligence-based IQ FireWatch fire-sensing technology could provide coverage for 94% to 97% of the county, county officials said. The system can detect heat disturbance from fires even before smoke is visible.
The concept is that itâs about as early detection as you can get,â county Public Works Director Steven Lederer said.
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Napa Zoom forum will tackle Wildfires and Being Firewise napavalleyregister.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from napavalleyregister.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Noah Berger, Associated Press
A firefighter runs past flames Oct. 1 while battling the Glass
Fire in a Calistoga vineyard. A local group wants to lease two Fire
Boss rapid-response planes to be based in Napa County that can dump
water on wildfires.
Advocates trying to bring two water-dropping, single-engine planes to Napa County to get a quick jump on fighting wildfires will have their day before the county Board of Supervisors.
Supervisors at their Tuesday meeting said they want the issue of the planes equipped with Fire Boss water systems on a future agenda. The discussion could happen as soon as the April 20 meeting.
April 07, 2021
On Tuesday, the Napa County Board of Supervisors unanimously endorsed a proposal to reduce fuel – and fire risks in a county where deadly wildfires have destroyed houses, wineries and other properties.
The Napa Communities Firewise Foundation, a volunteer organization whose members include firefighters, vintners and other business leaders, commissioned the 18-month study that used remote sensing technology called Lidar to predict fire behavior given the county’s fuel conditions.
The document, known as the Napa County Community Wildfire Protection Plan, has led to the development of a 5-year vegetation management plan, including the construction and maintenance of fuel breaks. It is a tool the county can use to apply for state and federal funding.