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District Awards

SDAO Safety Award 2013Outstanding Special District Safety Award

Awarded to: Lake Chinook Fire and Rescue

Lake Chinook Fire and Rescue is a fire protection district located on the south side of the Metolius arm of Lake Billy Chinook in Central Oregon. This sparsely populated area is very prone to wildfire.

To better protect the community, the District has been using technology to assist with detection and control of lightening caused wildfires. During thunderstorms, staff monitors web sites that display lightening strikes in real time. GPS coordinates of the strike location are provided. Firefighters use these coordinates to go directly to the lightening strike location to determine if the strike triggered an ignition.

The District has formed an alliance with Pine Telephone System, Inc., a fiber optics telecommunciations company, who has created a webcam system for the District. The cameras are atop a 90’ telecommunications/wi-fi tower and will assist in monitoring rural areas for wildfires. The project, known as FireCam, uses webcams to provide a clear view of approximately 60 square miles and is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, through the internet. These remote control cameras can pan east over the Crooked River National Forest, west to the Deschutes National Forest and all over private protection areas in between.
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