On Wednesday, Governor Gavin Newsom announced two contracts selected as the first projects for the Wildfire Innovation Sprint, which will be undertaken as a result of the Governor’s January 8, 2019 Executive Order.
Wildfire Innovation Sprint is a new procurement process designed to modernize the way state contracts for development of technology systems to help acquire cutting edge fire response technologies for future fire seasons.
The initial contracts selected as a result of a Request for Innovative Ideas issued by the Administration both will be based in the RCRC member counties of Butte, Monterey, Napa and San Luis Obispo, and include:
- A $383,000 contract with Technosylva to develop a prototype to predict wildfire patterns in real time using an advanced cloud-based modeling subscription.
- A $1.6 million contract to Northrop Grumman to create an early wildfire detection system using remote sensors that interface with local computer systems to help dispatch resources in real time.
The Governor hopes these types of innovative contracts will help predict future fire patterns to expedite both fire response and public safety efforts to help save property and lives.