Cameras help Oregon Dept. of Forestry spot wildfire starts across the state

PORTLAND, Ore. — As thunderstorms move across Oregon, there's concern that the number of fires burning in the state will grow.

The Oregon Department of Forestry has 81 cameras in the state, and fire spotters are watching cameras closely for smoke stacks. They're doing what used to be primarily done in watch towers.

"We have camera detection systems throughout the state. And those cameras can span hundreds of miles. They can see all over the forest," said Jessica Prakke, the Public Affairs Officer for the Oregon Department of Forestry (ODF).

ODF is tasked with protecting 16 million acres of forestland in the state.

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"Most of them are concentrated in Southwest Oregon and Central and Eastern Oregon, where we definitely need those detection systems," Prakke said.

They also have an airplane outfitted with a heat detection camera that assists with overnight flyovers.

The goal is to catch fires when they're small.

Some crews still scour skylines on mountain peaks, and ODF also leans on the public to call if they see anything concerning. However, it's the cameras that give them a technological advancement over mother nature.

"Either the camera - the camera system will detect it and alert us itself. But most of the time, what happens is our people, because they're monitoring these cameras all the time. They'll notice it and flag it, send out a notification to our dispatch and they'll go out and confirm whether or not it's a fire," Prakke said.

ODF isn't the only agency with camera resources. The University of Oregon has helped install new cameras in the state that first responders and the public can use.

The cameras are a part of a consortium of three universities, including the University of Oregon. Together, the universities launched the ALERTWildfire program.

"The cameras allow very quick assessment," Dr. Doug Toomey, a professor at the University of Oregon as well as the director of the Oregon Hazards Lab, said.

Toomey helped bring the ALERTWildfire cameras into Oregon. The program originally launched in California, where there are now hundreds of cameras.

"Our goal is to achieve that density here in Oregon," Toomey said.

Oregon has around 30 in place currently.

ALERTWildifre has partnered with dozens of groups including federal agencies and structural firefighters, giving those organizations access to cameras they can pan, tilt, and zoom.

"The emergency responders can turn the camera, confirm whether or not it's a fire, [and] decide how to respond," Toomey said.

Toomey says Oregon needs hundreds of these cameras and expansion is underway.

"In California, we can see through some of the large fires that have happened. When the ALERTWildfire cameras are there, they have provided a game-changing capability for firefighters. They know within minutes how to respond to that fire," Toomey said.

Toomey says his team is working with ODF to combine resources and grow the web of wildfire prevention.

"We're trying to make our two-camera systems interoperable," Toomey said.

The public can watch ALERTWildfire's video streams online.