This project will help protect people, homes, and land in utah by setting up a network of cameras that can spot wildfires early

The University of Utah, as the prime awardee, will establish a wildfire detection and early alert network across Utah in partnership with the Utah Communication Authority (UCA), Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), and Utah Education and Telehealth Network (UETN). Under the Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management's Fuels Management and Community Fire Assistance Program (CFDA 15.228), the $998,831 cooperative agreement awarded on September 22, 2025, will deliver a fully operational wildfire camera network at 16 mountaintop sites in high-risk areas. The system will integrate with existing highway cameras, utilize the AlertWest platform for real-time image and data transmission to a control center in Roseburg, and employ solar power technology to ensure continuous operation in remote locations.

The primary products and services include live wildfire detection imagery and automated alerts distributed to firefighters, emergency responders, and federal land management agencies; enhanced wildfire detection capabilities in remote and difficult-to-access terrain; and a scalable infrastructure designed for future expansion. The five-year project period through September 21, 2030, will benefit firefighters and emergency response teams, the Bureau of Land Management and other federal agencies, rural communities and agricultural operations, property owners, and Utah's natural resources by enabling rapid detection and response to wildfire threats in the wildland-urban interface.

Activities

Install wildfire cameras at 16 mountaintop sites across utah connect to existing highway cameras to watch for fires near roads use the alertwest system to send images and data to fire teams and power the cameras with solar panelsthe partners working on this project include: utah communication authority (UCA) utah department of transportation (udot) utah education and telehealth network (uetn) and university of utah. These groups will work together to plan, install, and run the camera system.expected deliverables: a working wildfire camera network in high-risk areas of utah live images and alerts sent to a control center in roseburg better wildfire detection in remote and hard-to-reach places and a system that can grow in the future with more cameras.

Intended beneficiaries

Firefighters and emergency responders, who will get faster alerts the BLM and other agencies, who will better protect public lands rural communities, farmers, and ranchers, who are at risk from wildfires property owners and the general public, who will be safer from fire damage and utahs natural resources, which will be better protected from wildfire destruction.