Smarter tech, safer summers: How two cool innovations help stop fires before they start
If you’ve lived through an Oregon summer lately, you know fire season isn’t what it used to be. Hotter days, drier landscapes, stronger winds — they’re all part of a changing climate that’s making wildfires more common and more dangerous.
That’s why we’re investing in smarter tools to help keep people safe and the power on. Two of the most impactful upgrades? AI-powered cameras that spot fires early and advanced weather stations that help us predict risk before it becomes reality.
AI cameras: Always on, always watching for smoke
Imagine having a wildfire lookout with a perfect view of the horizon and the ability to see through fog, track tiny wisps of smoke and never blink. That’s essentially what we get with Pano AI cameras. 
These cameras are installed in fire-prone parts of Oregon, scanning 360 degrees every minute of every day. They’re trained to recognize smoke — not clouds, not dust — and send out automatic alerts to our team and emergency responders when something looks suspicious.
It’s not just fast. It’s early. Spotting a fire within minutes instead of hours gives fire crews a critical head start, and gives communities more time to respond and stay safe.
Weather stations: Forecasting fire risk in real time
While the cameras help us see what’s happening, our upgraded weather stations help us understand what could happen.
We’ve installed a network of high-tech weather sensors across our service area that track things like wind speed, humidity, temperature and “fuel moisture” (how dry the ground and vegetation are). This gives us hyper-local information — down to individual neighborhoods and circuits — so we can better anticipate fire danger.
Why does that matter? Because it helps us make smarter decisions about when and where to take action. For example:
If wind and fuel conditions are high-risk, we might do a Public Safety Power Shutoff in that area to avoid any chance of a spark.
If a fire breaks out, we can share local weather data with firefighters to support their response.
And if a fire or weather event does impact the system, we can use the same data to support response teams and guide recovery efforts.
Tech that works together and works for Oregon
When you pair these innovations with other wildfire safety strategies — like trimming trees near lines, upgrading or undergrounding equipment and replacing wood poles with fire-resistant ones — you get a much stronger, smarter grid.
This work doesn’t happen just during fire season. We plan and prepare year-round. Because for us, wildfire prevention isn’t just about keeping the lights on. It’s about protecting the places we all call home.
And while no system is perfect, these tools are helping us move faster, make better decisions and stay ahead of fire risk in ways we couldn’t before.
Want to learn more?
Explore how we’re preparing for fire season and how you can, too.
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