Ukiah, California, Oct. 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The City of Ukiah, the Ukiah Valley Fire Authority (UVFA), and Pano AI, a leader in early wildfire detection, unveiled a new partnership to deploy Pano AI’s technology in the City of Ukiah to help safeguard the community from the threat of wildfire. This partnership is Pano AI’s first commercial deployment of its AI-driven early wildfire detection program in Northern California.
“The City of Ukiah places a high value on innovation, and this fire protection system uses leading-edge technology to help address one of our community’s biggest fears—catastrophic wildfire. I’m proud that we’ve made this important investment in the safety and peace of mind of our friends, neighbors, and businesses.” said Mayor Marin Rodin, Ukiah, California.
Pano AI has deployed four ultra-high-definition, 360-degree, mountaintop camera systems equipped with artificial intelligence across UVFA’s service area. These four Pano Stations will support the rapid assessment of new ignitions, enhance situational awareness for first responders, and improve public safety and response times.
"Every minute matters when it comes to preventing catastrophic wildfires,” notes Chief Doug Hutchison, Ukiah Valley Fire Authority. “Early detection not only improves our ability to suppress but also holds a key role in substantially reducing suppression costs while better ensuring the safety of our skilled firefighters. Together, through this partnership, we’re striving to make Ukiah safer, with improved threat assessment capabilities and wildfire detection.”
Pano AI’s cornerstone solution, Pano Rapid Detect, brings together data sourced from state-of-the-art mountaintop cameras, geostationary satellites and other data feeds, 5G connectivity, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based software to actively monitor for new wildfire ignitions. This innovative fusion of technology provides critical intelligence that enables fire authorities to detect, assess, and pinpoint new fires quickly and early, helping first responders contain fires while they are still small.
“The climate crisis is happening now and adaptation is crucial in the face of the longer, warmer and drier wildfire seasons we are experiencing,” said Sonia Kastner, Pano AI’s CEO and Co-Founder. “We applaud the City of Ukiah and Ukiah Valley Fire Authority’s bold leadership and unwavering dedication to innovation by investing in technology to advance Ukiah’s climate resilience. This collaboration marks a pivotal stride towards better safeguarding communities from the growing threat of wildfires while underscoring the potential of AI-powered wildfire detection to help lessen the impact of escalating climate-related disasters.”
In the three years since founding, Pano AI has developed the most advanced product on the market and is deployed with governments, fire authorities, utilities, ski resorts, and private landowners. Pano AI’s customers span seven U.S. states (Texas, California, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Idaho, and Montana), four states in Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and South Australia), and has recently announced its upcoming expansion into British Columbia, Canada.
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About Pano AI
Pano AI is a leader in early wildfire detection, providing the first fully-integrated solution for active wildfire detection using artificial intelligence to help fire authorities identify and extinguish new ignitions before they become a threat. Harnessing the latest developments in hardware, artificial intelligence, and cloud-based software, Pano AI provides fire agencies with real-time actionable intelligence and situational awareness to coordinate an informed rapid response to wildfires before they escalate, safeguarding lives, communities, and the environment. Learn more at: https://www.pano.ai/
About The City of Ukiah
The City of Ukiah is the county seat and the largest city in Mendocino County. While its official population is only about 16,000, Ukiah serves a surrounding rural area that includes over 104,000. It is the commercial, education, legal, and service hub for the entire region, and attracts business and leisure visitors from all over the state.
About The Ukiah Valley Fire Authority
The Ukiah Valley Fire Authority service area covers approximately 90 square miles with a resident population of approximately 30,000. Within its boundaries are historic downtown buildings, county governmental buildings including a county courthouse and jail, Mendocino Community College, Dharma Realm Buddhist University, a local hospital, lower half of Lake Mendocino including the Coyote Dam, industrial and commercial complexes, expansive wildland urban interface areas, hotels, multi-family residential complexes, multiple mobile home parks, Ukiah Municipal Airport, US 101 and State Route 253.
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