Grass Valley council backs resolution to support UC Davis–linked ‘Firefly’ wildfire early-warning pilot
Loading...
Summary
City staff described a pilot partnership with UC Davis for a sensor-and-drone early-warning wildfire system; council adopted a resolution supporting exploration and deployment of the system under a Citrus Innovations grant award. The resolution was supportive in concept and did not commit city funds for full purchase.
The Grass Valley City Council voted to adopt a resolution supporting a proposed early-warning wildfire system developed in partnership with UC Davis researchers.
Dwayne Strawser, OES community risk reduction manager, told the council the system combines low-cost sensors that detect smoke and odor signatures with a drone-deployment capability that would provide rapid visual confirmation. "Their testing shows it can identify a wildfire ignition threat, minutes, if not, sometimes up to hours ahead of what it would take to actually visually see smoke," Strawser said.
Strawser said the city and county made a presentation to a UC system grant competition (Citrus Innovations Technologies Project) and the project placed in the final rounds. He said the city has received funding tied to that award to help install and develop the system locally and that the pilot would include sensor deployment and a drone link that could be staged near the airport or other locations.
Councilors asked how the system would handle false positives and the scale of sensors required; Strawser said UC Davis testing reports an 85–90%+ reduction in false alarms compared with existing alternatives and that multiple systems may be deployed to complement one another. He cautioned that specific siting details, drone basing and interagency coordination (including CAL FIRE and air-attack units) remain to be determined.
Councilors adopted the resolution supporting the concept and the city’s participation in the pilot by voice vote. The resolution expresses support for the partnership and for further development and testing; it does not obligate the council to purchase systems beyond the pilot scope. Strawser said staff expects to return with more detailed operational plans and interagency memoranda as the pilot moves from concept to field deployment.
