Etheric Networks supports early wildfire detection efforts through the installation of cameras on its new tower in San Ramon

Etheric Networks, the leading provider of wireless internet service in the Bay Area, today announced it has partnered with ALERTWildfire to provide free access to its newest tower in San Ramon. Live images are available to emergency dispatchers and to the public at alertwildfire.org.

Etheric’s San Ramon tower with Alert Wildfire Camera installed.

Ahead of the looming fire season, Etheric Networks, realizes the importance of helping local and bi-state efforts to detect wildfires soon after they start. As of January 2020, ALERTWildfire has installed 13 state-of-the-art Pan-Tilt-Zoom cameras in the North Bay, with a goal of installing 200 new cameras statewide in 2020.

• University consortium taps state and local businesses – A consortium of universities, including the University of Nevada, Reno, University of California, San Diego and University of Oregon are working together through ALERTWildfire to install fire cameras and provide associated tools to help firefighters and first responders.

 • Using technology to detecting a wildfire before it spreads – The cameras are able to detect wildfires soon after they start and when installed in a location with a 360° view, the near-infrared sensors can spot the signature of heat on up to 5,000 square miles, and up to 20,000 square miles at night. A supercomputer attached to the network of cameras models the fire’s spread in 30 seconds, predicting where it will burn over the next several hours.

• Taking advantage of existing infrastructure – One of two newest additions to its growing network, Etheric’s tower in San Ramon will be part of the initiative to install dozens of fire cameras around the state. Etheric’s 30+ towers provide wireless internet to the Bay Area and are working with emergency teams to identify additional locations for these “digital forest rangers.”

John Cornell, Emergency Preparedness Director, City of Lafayette Police Department, said: “The damage that fire can do and the speed it can spread make early detection efforts critical. Our goal is to build partnerships that will support first responders and alert neighborhoods. Sponsorships and partners that provide camera locations, like Etheric Networks, help our grant money go so much further, and we are grateful for their assistance.”

Alexander Hagen, CEO, Etheric Networks, said: “We are proud to be able to help this consortium with its efforts to ensure that wildfires are quickly and efficiently identified, mitigated and tracked. As we move into fire season, it is more important than ever that those of us that have the infrastructure to support such an effort do so, without cost and through concerted collaboration. We are thrilled to be able to help this effort today and, in the future, and encourage other tower owners in the Bay Area to join us.”

The ALERTWildfire team can assist in building fire camera infrastructure from the ground up, and/or use existing infrastructure to rapidly deploy a system in just a few months. For more information, please contact John Cornell at jcornell@ci.lafayette.ca.us.