After firestorms raged through Southern California in 1993 and destroyed more than 300 homes, resulting in a combined loss of more than $500,000, Laguna Beach residents created the Greater Laguna Fire Safe Council to take preventive steps.
The nonprofit community organization has since worked successfully to reduce fire threats and maintain a “Red Flag” patrol that works in conjunction with the local fire department, providing much-needed extra eyes during high-risk days.
 Photo courtesy of Sony. |
The council recently deployed Sony IPELA® SNC-RZ25N cameras linked by wireless networks to help spot, contain, and extinguish flare-ups before they become wildfires. Along with the council’s other fire prevention measures, the cameras bring peace of mind to the community while also addressing insurers’ concerns about providing coverage for the area (photo).
“The cameras are a powerful aid on ‘scary days’ when the Santa Ana winds, low humidity, and low moisture content in vegetation make for a perfect trifecta of hazardous conditions,” said David Horne, the founding chair of the council. “The ability to connect these cameras wirelessly to inaccessible areas provides the extra warning needed to spot fires before they spread. It at least gives us more time to get people to safety if we must evacuate.”
Since its creation in the mid-1990s, the council’s Red Flag patrol has expanded into a 100-member volunteer force that patrols the Laguna Beach region in cars marked with magnetic signs and window flags, Horne said. Members are also identified by a distinctive hat and badge to alert the public of dangerous conditions and to watch for trouble.
In the past, volunteers were also deployed at key vantage points to call in possible fire sightings by cell phone, Horne added. In 2003, David Mitchell, president of PRO 911 Systems, an IP-based systems integrator providing advanced communications support to public safety agencies, said he suggested a way to extend and enhance the lookouts’ capabilities with the cameras.
His company helped create high-speed wireless Internet access across Laguna Beach by creating a Tropos MetroMeshTM wireless network. If the council could obtain funding for cameras, PRO 911 Systems would make the network available for them, giving public safety officials and Red Flag volunteers the infrastructure for this important new tool.
Mitchell said he chose the SNC-RZ25N model because of the selectable JPEG and bandwidth-saving MPEG-4 compression. Wireless capabilities come through a wireless card installed in the unit’s industry-standard Compact Flash card slot. According to Mitchell, the network cameras are pioneering new possibilities for wireless IP-based security systems. The camera’s image quality, bandwidth efficiency, and durability under adverse environmental conditions make it an ideal choice for many challenging applications.
In response to Mitchell’s offer, Horne said the council applied a portion of a grant to the Red Flag patrol for the purchase of the cameras. The Bureau of Land Management of the U.S. Department of the Interior provided funding, administered by the California Fire Safe Council. Horne explained that the site selection went forward this summer; the best locations-those beyond the reach of foot and car patrols in the wildlife/urban interface areas-were determined using the geological survey. In one remote location, the camera is powered by solar-charged batteries. All locations are password-accessible on any Internet-connected computer by authorized personnel, including mobile patrol units also linked through Pro 911’s network, adds Horne.
Those dispatched to investigate possible flare-ups now do not have to approach suspected hotspots blind, Horne said. They can continue to access the critical video and operate the cameras with wireless connected laptops and handheld computers.
Despite their potential for destruction, Red Flag days are relatively infrequent, Horne said. Typically, they occur only for a few days during September through October. Still, he says, the camera system is put to good use even during low-risk periods. U.S. Department of the Interior professionals also access the cameras’ video to observe the wildlife inhabiting the wildlife/urban interface area.
“Using this system to help better understand the wild animals around us is an unexpected added benefit,” Horne said. “But on dangerous days, we really appreciate what the cameras do to aid our volunteers and the professionals they support. After the 1993 catastrophe, we are painfully aware of how vulnerable we are. Vigilance is our best insurance, and these cameras deliver it.”
ALLEN CHAN is a senior product manager of the Security Division of Sony Electronics Inc.
