(A special thank you to ALERTCalifornia/UC SanDiego and Caitlin Sully for providing video of the Palisades Fires from various cameras situated in the Santa Monica Mountains. In this video, you’ll see the first plume of smoke appear at 10:24 a.m. on January 7.)
One of the early photos of the start of the Palisades fire was from Watch Duty, a nonprofit founded in 2021. According to their website, once a 911 dispatch center receives a call, all available Watch Duty reporters in that region begin monitoring radio scanners, wildfire cameras, satellites, and other public sources. The public is notified via the App click here. and scroll to the bottom to the start of the Palisades Fire.
One of the sites that Watch Duty monitors is ALERTCalifornia, which has more than 1,144 high definition cameras, including at least two in Topanga Canyon, four at Temescal Trailhead 1 and 2, and Topanga Peak 1 and 2, Green Peak North 1 and Green Peak South 2, and also at Wilshire.
CTN reached out to ALERTCalifornia Communications Program Manager Caitlin Scully, who explained that cameras pan, tilt, zoom and perform 360-degree sweeps approximately every two minutes with 12 high-definition frames per sweep.
Scully explained that most locations have two cameras, one that spins every two minutes on “patrol mode” and one that is stationary facing a view chosen by local emergency managers. The cameras also provide 24-hour monitoring with near-infrared night vision capabilities.
Each camera can view as far as 60 miles on a clear day, and 120 miles on a clear night. To view the life feeds click here.
ALERTCalifornia scientists do not move the cameras, ”we install and maintain them and work with experts like Cal Fire to select the most needed locations,” Scully said.
She said that ALERTCalifornia’s camera network and AI tool are always monitored by trained watch standers. The cameras may alert a watch stander to smoke or fire, but it always must be verified by a person before action is taken. The AI tool became available to all 21 CAL FIRE 911 Dispatch Centers in September 2023.
It seems that these cameras could alert firefighters immediately and Scully was asked if they fed into local fire stations.
Scully suggested that CTN reach out to local firefighters to find out how (or if) they use the cameras.
CTN contacted Los Angeles Fire Department and Public Information Officer (PIO) Erik Scott who responded July 14 “Currently, ALERT California’s wildfire camera system does not feed directly into local Los Angeles City Fire Department (LAFD) fire stations. These high-definition, pan-tilt-zoom cameras are publicly available through AlertCalifornia.org, and many LAFD personnel, including those in our specialized units, actively monitor them online as part of situational awareness efforts, particularly during high fire weather conditions.”
“As for smoke detection: if a camera or observer identifies smoke, the report is typically relayed to our Metropolitan Fire Communications (MFC) center, which is our 9-1-1 dispatch hub,” Scott said. “Once verified, an incident is created, and the closest fire resources are dispatched immediately. This process applies regardless of how the initial smoke report originates, whether from a 9-1-1 caller, aircraft, a fire lookout, or an ALERT California camera.
“While there are no current plans to install live ALERT California camera feeds in each fire station, we continue to explore innovative tools and partnerships to enhance early detection and response,” Scott said.
CTN reached out to L.A. County, to see if the wide range of cameras in the Santa Monia Mountains were used for fire detection. He responded “Since the Palisades Fire is a part of Los Angeles City Fire Department jurisdiction. I would refer to you their PIO for more information regarding your request.”
I reminded the media spokesperson this was about being able to rapidly identify a fire (possibly at night) and send resources. There was no additional response.
CTN reached out to CalFire on July 14, “I noticed on the CalFire Site, that there were ALERTCalifornia cameras (Temescal Trailhead 1 and 2) where the Palisades Fire started.
“I found out that LAFD does not monitor the cameras. Does CalFire monitor these cameras and if they spot something, do they relay that info to LAFD or LA County?”
CTN never received a response.
The following video is courtesy of ALERTCalifornia/UC San Diego.
Why wasn’t the LACFD and LAFD part of the FireAid money . . . clearly their funding is of gov’t non-profit status? In other words, what would it take to have the feeds directly into the fire stations?
The way LAFD PIO, Erik Scott’s, protocol read to me from smoke via camera or observer or 911 to dispatch seems like a lot of steps = time wasted. But what do I know other than the resulting devastating destruction?
Again, Sue, you do an outstanding job of finding out what DID AND DID NOT happen. When are we going to get a real true investigation as the what went wrong. Is Sue going to be our only real true source. It is time NOW for a true full blown investigation and truth telling. South Africa did it when Apartheid was over turned. Why can’t we do it now? Or do we have to wait 50 years for the truth?
Thanks for your great reporting, Sue. We don’t get this information anywhere else.