By Alan M. Petrillo

An Arizona electric utility is installing a series of wildland fire-detection cameras in a remote area of its transmission line corridor to allow it to identify sparked wildland fires and also monitor transmission equipment that was damaged by wind or storms.

Salt River Project (SRP), a community-based, not-for-profit public power utility and the largest electricity provider in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, serving approximately 1.1 million customers, also provides water to about half of the Valley’s residents, delivering more than 244 billion gallons of water (750,000 acre-feet) each year, and manages a 13,000-square-mile watershed that includes an extensive system of reservoirs, wells, canals, and irrigation laterals.

SRP is piloting a Smoke Detector Pilot Project that will act as a camera and smoke detector early-warning system for wildland fires that occur near the utility’s transmission line towers in the Tonto and Apache-Sitgreaves National Forests. The project, which is expected have an impact on wildland fire preparedness and protecting a portion of the Valley’s watershed, is the first of its kind in Arizona.

The smoke detectors and cameras, which have been used in CA and Europe, are SmokeD models, made by a manufacturer in Warsaw, Poland, says Floyd Hardin, SRP’s fire management officer. Besides detecting the initiation of wildland fires, the SmokeD units will capture physical changes on the utility’s 500-kilovolt (kV), transmission towers that transmit energy to the Valley from power plants located in eastern AZ.

About 120 miles of SRP’s high-voltage power lines are located on U.S Forest Service land located in the northeastern part of the state. SRP is setting up two test areas with 12 cameras to capture images of a portion of the 500-kV transmission towers every 10 minutes, Hardin points out. The solar-powered infrared cameras can work at night and capture images up to 10 miles out with a 360-degree view.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI), the cameras can learn their surrounding environment, report changes, and provide alerts when identifying smoke from wildland fires or changes to structures, Hardin says. The cameras can also alert SRP to issues such as downed lines, downed towers, or damaged equipment.

“Today, if a fire impacts our lines, we may not know until we get an ale

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REV Group, Inc., announces Rudy Simmons has joined as Senior Director Global Sourcing and Supply Chain for REV Ambulance Division which includes Wheeled Coach^®, Road Rescue^®, Horton^®, AEV^® and Leader^® emergency vehicle brands.  Simmons will report directly to Rob Vislosky, Chief Supply Officer, with matrix reporting to Anoop Prakash, REV Ambulance Division President.

In addition to managing the Ambulance Division supply side, Simmons will lead the spend management across several key categories such as medical equipment, hardware, flooring, HVAC, wheels, tires and support metals and body build sourcing.

Prior to joining REV Group, Simmons was Senior Director, Global Sourcing at Autocar Trucks, where he was responsible for leading multi-product platforms of specialty truck vehicles that included EV (electric vehicles), Diesel, and turbo-powered units.  In addition to previously working at REV Group from 2012 to 2017, Simmons held positions with FreightCar, Danaher, APEX Tool, and Eaton Corporation in global supply chain leadership, category leadership, quality management, plant management and materials management.

“As we mature our procurement and supply chain capabilities, I am delighted to welcome Rudy to our team,” said Rob Vislosky, Chief Supply Officer, REV Group. “With his extensive experience within the Automotive and Commercial Vehicle OEM and Aftermarket Industries and his background managing all aspects of Procurement, Sourcing, and Supplier Quality, Rudy is a great addition to the team.”

Simmons is APICS CPIM certified and a Certified Quality Engineer from ASQ and holds a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering and an MBA from Clemson University.

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About REV Group, Inc.

REV Group companies are leading designers and manufacturers of specialty vehicles and related aftermarket parts and services, which serve a diversified customer base, primarily in the United States, through three segments: Fire & Emergency, Commercial, and Recreation. They provide customized vehicle solutions for applications, including essential needs for public services (ambulances, fire apparatus, school buses, and transit buses), commercial infrastructure (terminal trucks and industrial sweepers), and consumer leisure (recreational vehicles). REV Group’s diverse portfolio is made up of well-established principal vehicle brands, including many of the most recognizable names within their industry. Several of REV Group’s brands pioneered their specialty vehicle product categories and date back more than 50 years. REV Group trades on the NYSE under the symbol REVG. Investors-REVG

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