Artificial intelligence to be used in Arizona's wildfire defense

PHOENIX - Artificial intelligence is giving fire officials and APS a chance to better prevent the spread of fires, and protect the community. 

John Truett of the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management calls it "game-changing" as early detection is key when it comes to battling wildfires.

What they're saying:

"The more we can put our eyes on all these fires, the faster we can possibly get the fires out," Wade Ward of APS said.

APS and the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management are showcasing new AI technology on March 24 that will help them better detect wildfires, help with response, let them know the fire's behavior, and the potential of that fire.

"So we can alert the community ahead of it and the other agencies that are involved in the response," Truett said.

There are currently a total of 15 online cameras across the state. By May 1, there will be 30.

"To detect the fire, then to model it, then get the worst-case scenario. So, we're looking at the modeling system after the fire starts, and it really gives us not only proximity to our power lines, but all the other assets we have, including communication towers, solar facilities, power plants, sub stations, all of that. It gives us a good idea of where the fire is going and where it could potentially impact our system, which means impact to our customers," Ward said.

Why you should care:

Fire officials are expecting this fire season to be an especially bad one because of how dry the weather's been. That's why this equipment is so important.

"It helped a lot because the Brady Fire. That was a fire in February and burned like it would be in May, so it really gave us the idea, and a heads-up, this is going to be extremely bad. We need an immediate response and a heavy response," Truett said.