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Committee backs plan to bring additional wildfire cameras into town and seek state support
Summary
The tech committee endorsed a plan to seek town-council backing for siting six AlertCalifornia wildfire cameras (three inside town looking outward) to address blocked view-sheds and to coordinate with Cal Fire, the fire district and utility site owners for access.
The Los Altos Hills Technology Committee voted to endorse a plan to pursue additional AlertCalifornia wildfire cameras and to bring a recommendation to the town council.
Chair (Speaker 3) presented maps and analysis showing that many existing regional cameras are oriented down-valley and that ridgelines block sight lines to some parts of town. "These existing cameras all have partial views of the valley and there's some that are completely blocked," the chair said, arguing that cameras mounted inside town and looking outward would detect fires earlier in certain locations.
The committee proposed a six-camera plan: three cameras inside town looking outward and three medium-priority sites. Members discussed potential host sites, including town-owned water-tank locations and partnerships with MidPeninsula Regional Open Space and Cal Water. Committee member (Speaker 10) recalled prior outreach to Cal Water about mounting emergency communications equipment on a high-elevation tank and said the company had been receptive in earlier talks.
Funding and authority: speakers said AlertCalifornia is a state-funded program and that the committee would aim to corral multiple agencies — the fire district, EPRC and the town — to support a council-level recommendation. Staff (Speaker 8) suggested requesting a formal council ‘rubber stamp’ to strengthen a partnership request to Cal Fire or the state program.
Decision: committee members agreed to draft a resolution endorsing the plan and to seek council placement; a motion to support advancing the plan was proposed and carried by voice assent. The committee asked staff to gather fire-district input and to include specific site rationale when taking the recommendation to council.
Why it matters: Committee members said improving camera orientations and adding town-based cameras could close blind spots and, along with sensors and drones, improve early detection and response in a high-fire-risk region. The committee also discussed the potential for mounting speakers on high towers for emergency public address as an ancillary safety benefit.
