BOULDER, Colo. — The Pearl, Alexander Mountain, Quarry and Stone Canyon fires have torched Colorado communities over the past couple of months. Officials from counties across the state gathered together on Wednesday to look at and discuss new detection technology with hopes of stopping or slowing future wildfires.
The event was hosted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate and showcased in-development technology that's meant to help with wildfire protection and early detection.
Among the tools being showcased was the N5 Shield.
"This sensor detects smoke particulates, it detects infrared," said Nathan Whittington, the emergency manager for Jefferson County.
The sensor is able to "sniff out" smoke and alert first responders of what may be brewing before it grows and gets out of control.
"This sensor allows for a notification to be made to my emergency operations center, to my cell phone, to my email saying, 'Hey, it's picking up something,'" Whittington said. "We need to take a look at it. We need to investigate it a little bit more."
Two N5 Shields have already been installed in Boulder. Whittington is slated to receive 20 N5 Shields, which will be placed in rural areas throughout Jefferson County. Gilpin County will receive 100.
"There is no one piece of technology that's going to solve our problem," Whittington said.
Firefighters are tackling more wildfires more often. DHS officials said they hope the development and introduction of products like the N5 Shield help that fight.
"We need more tools coming into the system, into the hands of the operations, to make it more manageable," said Dimitri Kusnezov, the undersecretary for science and technology at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
That's exactly what county officials throughout Colorado say they need as conditions continue to change.
"Things are much different," said Mike Chard, the director of the Office of Disaster Management for the City of Boulder & Boulder County. "When I was a firefighter, the way we fought fires, the type of fires we fought, are different than today."
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