No single solution will solve our ongoing fire/wildfire woes. This problem is very complex due to a variety of nuances including dynamic weather conditions, terrain, accessibility, vegetation, expansive acreages, etc.
But, one understanding that we all can agree on is that most every asset that we truly care about is typically located within/under the distribution grid.
The Distribution grid exists where people live, work, play; this is the home of our social existence and the heart of our economic engines. By uniquely leveraging our existing transformer infrastructure, we can immediately create a first-ever public safety wildfire solution. Operators can swiftly deploy novel wildfire sensors on overhead transformers to create an “Always-On” outdoor monitoring canopy that overarches our communities. Protecting people, property, economies and the environment from devastation that is now too commonly caused by recurring wildfires.
Existing overhead distribution transformer fleets will effectively serve as our wildfire mitigation solution architecture. By quickly deploying cost-effective transformer-mounted sensors that deliver ongoing atmospheric and environmental conditions monitoring, we will help to save lives, reduce costs, reduce liabilities, reduce environmental damage, and reduce harmful Greenhouse Gas emissions.
Because the transformer fleet infrastructure is already in place, we have a unique opportunity to expand the value of the distribution grid by using it to help us Early Detect fires/wildfires. Thereby helping to protect our most precious human, economic, and personal assets.
Sensors bearing the capability to Early Detect, Auto Alert, and Prevent certain fire/wildfire events are already commercially available to the marketplace. These sensors can be used in urban/suburban settings where escalating homeless encampment fires are becoming a serious problem. Additionally, these same sensors can be used in the wildland-urban interface areas to facilitate a 'front lines', always-on monitoring solution to protect communities.
The key to reducing ongoing fire/wildfire-driven disasters, massive damage, substantial environmental damage, harmful greenhouse gas emissions, fatalities/injuries, and overwhelming post event costs (e.g., rehabilitation costs, medical costs, legal settlement costs, etc) is to "KEEP FIRES SMALL(ER)". A realistic way to achieve this need is to leverage our existing distribution grid architecture to create outdoor monitoring canopies. This results in a 'frontlines' ongoing monitoring solution that can facilitate Early Detection for authorities via Auto Alerts when fire/wildfire conditions are detected. The more sensors there are deployed, the more likely we will achieve earlier detection; resulting in small(er) fire events.
As we start responding to fire events when they are small(er), we help to avoid the wildfires that 'got away', we avoid the massive damages, the massive fire suppression expenses, the massive environmental damage, the debilitating local economy damage, and the series of insurance-related cost burdens that follow many fire/wildfire events (e.g., medical, legal, liability defense and settlements, future escalating premiums, etc.), let alone the human injuries, fatalities and mental anguish that fire/wildfire events too often yield.
Let's use an already-available outdoor sensor suite that will help us to keep fires small(er). Let's take advantage of the existing distribution grid architecture, which is located PRECISELY where we need to protect our most precious assets, and to establish a frontlines Always-On monitoring solution. Ponder the substantive upsides to this strategy; consider the lack of drawbacks to expanding the grid beyond its traditional electric service delivery to now also becoming a vital fire/wildfire defense solution asset to our valued communities.
Let's stop with people blaming grid operators for fires/wildfires, and let's turn the paradigm so that people will be grateful for grid operators who are proactively helping to protect the communities they proudly serve by multi-purposing our existing grid infrastructure.
Capitalize on existing overhead transformers to deploy a cost-effective fire/wildfire mitigation solution.
Distribution transformers provide a unique public safety and environmental protection solution opportunity.