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Cowlitz County approves five-year Pano AI wildfire-detection contract for landfill and Silver Lake Valley
Summary
County commissioners voted to approve a five-year, $40,000-per-year agreement with Pano AI to install and monitor wildfire-detection cameras covering the headquarters landfill and Silver Lake Valley; system will alarm staff and 911 dispatch.
Cowlitz County commissioners voted to approve a five-year contract with Pano AI to install a rapid wildfire detection system covering the county’s headquarters landfill and the broader Silver Lake Valley.
The contract, described at the meeting as $40,000 per year for five years, is intended to provide continuous remote thermal and optical detection focused on the landfill and surrounding areas, county staff said.
Commissioner Sean Hurley introduced the item as a longstanding effort by Public Works to add an early-warning detection layer at the landfill and in Silver Lake Valley, saying the system will “serve the entire Silver Lake Valley for wildfire detection as well as focusing on the landfill itself.” He said the county has previously responded to nighttime landfill flares and wants to “get ahead” of those risks.
Savannah Clement, public services staff, confirmed the county’s response approach: the Pano AI system will notify landfill operators during daytime hours and will also alarm 911 and other emergency providers so that emergency dispatch can coordinate the appropriate response. Clement told commissioners the county uses a three-pronged approach of prevention, detection and response and that Fire District 6 is the district that responds to the headquarters landfill.
Commission discussion included an inquiry about expected response time for overnight alarms; staff estimated Fire District 6 response could be roughly 15–20 minutes depending on time of day. Commissioners then called for a vote; the chair asked “Those in favor?” and commissioners voted to approve the contract.
The contract was described at the meeting as intended to give county staff and first responders continuous monitoring and automated alerting to reduce the risk of fires at a working landfill where intermittent thermal events have occurred.
Votes at the meeting were taken by voice; no roll-call tally was recorded in the public transcript.
The county did not provide in the meeting packet details on contract start date, installation schedule, or specific performance metrics for sensor coverage; staff said vendor and legal review had concluded and the item was ready for execution.
Commissioners noted the system complements other landfill fire-management work including separate thermal monitoring planned within the fill area.
