NV Energy installing cameras to help detect wildfires in high-risk areas
NV Energy announced a plan Monday to install wildfire cameras in natural disaster risk zones throughout the state.
The cameras will be installed through a partnership with the University of Nevada, Reno’s Nevada Seismological Laboratory, the company said. Six cameras already have been installed, with four more scheduled for the next few months.
“The cameras help reduce the risk of wildfires, assist with early detection and response, and provide situational awareness during fire incidents,” the company said in a statement Monday. “These cameras will complement the growing ALERTWildfire network of fire cameras throughout the western United States, and be accessible to fire agencies and other utilities for fire mitigation efforts.”
NV Energy said 30 weather stations in its service area have been identified as having a high risk of natural disasters. The stations take readings on temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind gusts, wind direction, precipitation, fuel moisture and other factors to help the company assess fire risk and determine more accurate weather forecasts, the statement said.
“The information we gain from these cameras and weather stations provide critical information to aid not just in NV Energy’s response, but the response of local, state, and national fire agencies including Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service, by helping isolate fire ignition confirmation and providing continuous situational awareness during fire incidents,” Mark Regan, NV Energy fire mitigation specialist, said in a statement.
Contact Alexis Ford at aford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0335. Follow @alexisdford on Twitter.
