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County committee accepts pilot wildfire sensor program after first live alert
Summary
The Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee accepted a report on a 15‑sensor wildfire detection pilot that went live June 15; staff said an early alert—caused by maintenance debris—helped test response protocols and highlighted needs for signal reliability and calibration before expanding the network.
The Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee voted June 25 to accept an update on a pilot wildfire sensor network that county staff activated June 15.
County Executive staff told the committee the initial deployment includes 15 sensors located across county parks and wildland‑urban interface areas. Sean Whyteman, a program manager with the Office of the County Executive, said the team adjusted several sensor locations and added directional antennas where cellular connectivity proved unreliable.
"The most critical aspect is integrating the N‑5 alert data with the county systems," Whyteman said, describing multiple rounds of testing with county communications teams.
Staff recounted the program's first real‑world alert: a smoke alert triggered by debris from maintenance work near a sensor. "A park ranger attended and the alert provided a real‑world opportunity to practice the response protocol in real time," Whyteman said, noting the incident led to a stop‑work action to remove a plastic bag that had interfered with equipment.
Deputy Fire Chief Brian Glass and other staff outlined plans to monitor the pilot sensors through the fire season to refine calibration and response procedures. The team said it hopes to expand the network to roughly 30 sensors in a next phase if the pilot demonstrates reliability and operational value.
Vice President (Supervisor) Arenas and Chair Margaret Abe‑Koga both voted to accept the report. The committee did not specify additional funding during the meeting; staff said they would return with lessons learned and expansion recommendations after the pilot period.
The committee's action keeps the pilot on track while staff test technical performance and incident response steps before committing to larger deployment.
