Cowlitz County approves sole-source procurement of AI camera system to speed landfill fire detection

Cowlitz County commissioners approved a sole-source procurement for a Pano AI “panel rapid detect” camera system intended to detect early-stage fires near the county landfill and speed emergency responses.

Commissioner Sean Rowe introduced the item as a Public Works request to “detect wildfires at the early stages,” saying the system would enhance response times, protect public safety and natural resources and monitor a wide area around the camera tower. Savannah Clement, a Public Works staff member, told commissioners the county’s landfill experiences regular small fires on the active working face and has had larger fires outside operating hours in recent years.

The system uses video cameras mounted on a tower and an AI-based detection protocol. “This is essentially a camera, a video camera on top of a tower,” Clement said, describing three‑hundred‑sixty‑degree coverage with optical zoom and remote, real‑time access for multiple users. She said the AI issues an initial alert and a human reviewer at the monitoring vendor then verifies it before dispatching responders.

Commissioners pressed staff on technical details. Clement said the system is not thermal imaging; the county is considering separate thermal cameras at closer range to the landfill as a secondary measure. She said the towers can detect smoke plumes at a macro scale and the county plans a two‑pronged approach with thermal cameras focused on the landfill’s working face.

Rowe estimated the system will cost about $40,000 per year on a five‑year term. He and Clement said the product is already used by Washington state agencies and utilities, and by the U.S. Forest Service in several states. Clement said the county tested the new contract operator on April 1 and callers reached a live person immediately when they phoned the regional crisis line; for this procurement she emphasized the detection system will be monitored first by AI then by humans.

The board voted to approve the sole‑source procurement. Commissioners did not record individual roll‑call votes in the transcript; the item was approved after the board voiced “Aye.” The county will return to the board later to present the final contract for execution.

County staff said, if the procurement is approved and the contract executed, the system could be operational within three to six weeks. Staff also said notification workflows would be coordinated with local fire departments and county emergency responders, and the vendor will provide web and mobile access for county users.

The discussion was limited to procurement, detection method and expected timeline; commissioners did not approve any additional spending beyond moving forward with the sole‑source procurement at this meeting.