COMMITTEE APPROVES REMOTE CAMERA WILDFIRE ALERT PILOT PROGRAM

Pilot program would use live feeds from cameras to combat wildfires

Denver, CO– The House Rural Affairs and Agriculture committee today considered and passed a bipartisan bill, sponsored by Representative Barbara McLachlan, to employ remote cameras in wildfire mitigation. The bill would create a pilot program to provide live camera feeds to detect, locate, and monitor fires in the wildland-urban interface. The Committee approved the bill by a vote of 10-1.

“We need every tool in our arsenal working to help discover, prevent, and contain the wildfires that threaten our communities and our environment,” said Rep. McLachlan, D-Durango. “Remote cameras can provide our firefighters with a live feed of the fires they are working to contain or extinguish, making their efforts safer and more effective. These cameras could also lead to earlier detection of wildfires, meaning more successful and less costly mitigation efforts.”

HB20-1171, which is also sponsored by Rep. Marc Catlin, tasks the Center of Excellence for Advanced Technology Aerial Firefighting within the Department of Public Safety with implementing a pilot program to use camera technology to detect wildfires in the wildland-urban interface.