ALERTCalifornia Fire Camera Installed in Downieville

DOWNIEVILLE — ALERTCalifornia, a fire early warning system developed by UC San Diego, has installed a camera on the cell tower above the Downieville Courthouse to add to its surveillance network. Though the camera does not cover a particularly large area, it can facilitate rapid response to fire threats close to town. It also covers a potential blind spot in fire monitoring technology. The camera can spin 360 degrees to overlook a significant percentage of Downieville’s commercial and residential areas. Businesses and houses are blurred for privacy on the publicly-presented camera view.

ALERTCalifornia cameras provide 24-hour continuous monitoring and employ infrared technologies to be effective day and night. The organization also partnered with Cal Fire and Digital Path to create a fire detection AI tool that further facilitates rapid response. ALERTCalifornia now operates over 1,100 monitoring cameras and sensor arrays state-wide.