Paul Rogers
Bay Area News Group
(TNS)

For generations, fire lookout towers stood as landmarks across the American West.

Binoculars in hand, dedicated fire spotters scanned the landscape for smoke and radioed firefighters before flames grew out of control. But now, as California enters what is historically the most dangerous part of fire season — the end of summer before the first major rains — lone human sentries have largely given way to a new type of fire lookout on mountain tops: high-tech cameras.

What began as a small research project at UC San Diego 25 years ago has grown into a powerful network of 1,211 cameras constructed on peaks and hilltops across the state with millions of dollars in state funding and oversight from Cal Fire.

Built on towers, observatories and buildings, the cameras are part of a system called ALERTCalifornia. They turn 360 degrees every 2 minutes, taking 12 photos with each pass, 24 hours a day. Upgraded with artificial intelligence software two years ago, they can pan, tilt, zoom, detect smoke and alert fire dispatchers automatically — sometimes before humans call 911.

Each can see 60 miles away on a clear day, and with near-infrared technology, gaze out 120 miles on a clear night.

“Lookouts get up in the morning and work until dusk. But this is 24-7,” said Brian York, deputy chief for fire intelligence at Cal Fire.

“We measure success in all the times that we respond and put out the fires that you never hear about,” he said. “Especially in rural areas at night when most people are sleeping.”

Since 2019, the number of cameras has more than doubled.

The AI lookouts are now on top of many of California’s most prominent peaks, including Mount Hamilton, Mount Diablo and Mount Tamalpais in the Bay Area, Martis Peak at Lake Tahoe, Mammoth Mountain in the Sierra, and the slopes of Mount Shasta.

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The cameras have been used to monitor atmospheric river storms, the recovery of California condors, even a tsunami warning along California’s coast in July after an 8.8 magnitude earthquake off Russia. They can be found on Southern California peaks like Mount Wilson near Los Angeles, Cowles Mountain in San Diego, and even on Catalina Island, along with the top of the Dream Inn in Santa Cruz and the roof of the Oakland Coliseum.

Anyone can view the camera feeds live at alertcalifornia.org.

“They are here to help during emergencies,” said C

When a fire department gets a new fire station, it often takes the opportunity to build in an area or several spaces where training props and equipment can be used to practice various firefighting functions, such as hose and ladder drills, bailout training, rappelling, and confined space work.

Carol Ann Kesler, executive associate for BRW Architects, a firm that specializes in public safety facilities, says the decision to incorporate training props in a fire station usually takes place early in the planning and design process. “A mezzanine over the apparatus bays offers a number of opportunities for training props,” Kesler points out. “We’ve put a manhole cover in a mezzanine floor with space around the hole for a tripod leading to a clear area below that can be used for confined space training. Also, rappelling anchors can be placed on the mezzanine floor or located on the sides facing the bays.”

Kesler notes that several stations BRW has designed have doors in the mezzanine that open out into the bays, with anchors above the door and directly across the bays from the doors, so firefighters can rig lines to raise and lower a Stokes basket. “They can also do ladder training off similar openings in the mezzanine,” she says.

“We’ve also designed an opening on the far side of the bays with an exterior balcony that has a typical residential window which opens into either a storage mezzanine or a staircase landing.”

For the Lewisville (TX) Fire Department, BRW designed a parapet at the top of a three-story stair tower with a flat roof that has several anchor points which can be used for rappelling and high angle work as well as for ladder training, Kesler says. “For Victoria (TX) Fire Department Station 4, we put in a hose tower with a metal staircase and a window in the tower for rappelling and ladder training and a standpipe for making hose connections and advancing hose up stairs,” she adds.

Bob Mitchell, senior architect for Wendel/Mitchell Associates Architects, which also specializes in fire station design, says his firm has designed a variety of props inside fire stations. “We’ve designed openings the size of residential windows on mezzanines with an Ipe wood protective gate, which is the hardest wood available so it’s durable, along with fittings for tie-off points,” Mitchell says. “We’ve also put in metal-covered holes for the pick end of a halligan tool that can be used to simulate the halligan in a residential wall as a tie-off point.”

1 BRW Architects designed window openings cut into a mezzanine wall in Waco (TX) Fire Department Station No. 3 that can be used for bailout training and ladder work. (Photo 1 courtesy of BRW Architects.)

2 A firefighter practices his bailout technique from a mezzanine window and anchor point designed by Wendel/Mitchell Associates Architects for a Schoharie (NY) Fire Department station. (Photo 2 courtesy of Wendel/Mitchell Associates Architects.)

3 Fire Facilities built this live fire training prop for the Bentonville (AR) Fire Department. (Photo 3 courtesy of Fire Facilities.)

Wendel/Mitchell has also designed lots of manhole-covered holes in mezzanine floors for use in bailout and confined space training, Mitchell notes. “We’ve also designed a movable mask maze for a station mezzanine,” he says. “We

Monroeville, Pennsylvania, is a suburb in Allegheny County sitting about 10 miles east of Pittsburgh. The community is a mix of residential homes and commercial properties. The municipality is protected by five volunteer fire companies, which also provide some form of emergency medical services (EMS). Many of the companies also provide volunteers with a live-in program so that there is staff when a call comes in. These types of programs help companies with recruitment and retention. In addition, it allows members to get trained, and should they move, they can become a volunteer firefighter in another jurisdiction or state.

Monroeville Volunteer Fire Company 5 operates quite a few E-ONE apparatus. Engine 51 is a 2020 Cyclone pumper, Truck 5 is a 2009 tiller, and Tanker 5 is a 2017 Cyclone custom pumper-tanker.

Due to the numerous highways and interstate routes running through the town, Tanker 5 is equipped with a 3,000-gallon water tank. This enables it to operate individually or provide other units with a source of water when a water source isn’t readily available.

Tanker 5 is a Cyclone model with a long cab/raised roof with full-height rear doors, making entry and exiting while wearing a fire helmet easier for members. Its powder coated galvanized frame rails carry the extruded aluminum body, which has full-height compartments on the driver’s side and half-side compartments on the officer’s side. Above the half-side compartments is a Zico Quic-Lift storage rack, which holds a portable water tank. The side compartments are equipped with ROM roll-up doors. The rear compartment has through-the-tank storage where the portable ladders and pike poles are stored.

The rig carries a 24-foot extension ladder, a 14-foot roof ladder, and a 10-foot folding ladder. The tanker is painted white with three red reflective stripes running across the cab and body, and the rear of the apparatus has compliant DOT safety chevron reflective markings.

The rig is powered by a Cummins ISX15 600-horsepower (hp) diesel engine with Allison EVS4000 transmission. The motor also powers the Hale Qmax single-stage 1,500-gallon-per-minute (gpm) pump. There is also a 180-gallon Class B foam tank, which operates the FRC Hypro/Foam Pro Model 2002 foam system.

The Lodi Fire Department recently celebrated its brand-new 2025 tractor-drawn aerial truck with a Push-In Ceremony at Fire Station 1, marking an important milestone in the department’s continued commitment to protecting the community, the department said in a press release.

The new ladder truck, a 2025 Pierce Ascendant 107-foot tiller, is powered by a 500-horsepower (hp) engine, and measures 60 feet 9 inches in length and 11 feet 2 inches in height. The truck comes equipped with the latest in advanced firefighting technology. Designed for both power and agility, its extended ladder reach and enhanced maneuverability will allow firefighters to access tight city streets as well as tall commercial structures throughout Lodi.

The purchase of the truck was approved in Fiscal Year 2022, with the truck arriving to Lodi from Wisconsin just a couple of weeks ago. The total cost was approximately $2 million ($1.79 million for the truck itself, along with $168,000 for equipment and mounting). Battalion Chief Roger Varwig oversaw the build process to ensure the apparatus met the department’s operational needs.

This state-of-the-art apparatus represents a major investment in the department’s ability to keep the community safe, allowing firefighters to respond to emergencies in both residential neighborhoods and larger commercial areas with greater reach, speed, and efficiency.

Thanks to all who joined us to celebrate the future of fire service in Lodi.

• The Lodi FD performs a Walk-Around the TDA
• See the Push-In Ceremony for Lodi’s new ladder truck

Specifications

Chassis	Enforcer™
Body	Ascendant® 107’ Heavy-Duty Tiller Aerial Ladder
Actual Overall Height	11′ 2″
Engine	Cummins X12
Horsepower	500 hp
Front Suspension	TAK-4® Independent Front Suspension
Rear Suspension	Air
Electrical System	Command Zone™
Generator	Harrison Hydraulic
Generator KW	10 kW

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