Smart Forest Management; Confronting Institutions: The Causes of the 2018 Paradise Fire

The demand for a larger power grid in the United States, both in power capacity but also in geographic expanse, is at odds with the need for safe energy distribution. A primary concern is the role of electrical systems and high-power lines in the ignition of wildfires. About 10% of wildfires in California between 2016 and 2020 are started from electric sources (California State Auditor, 2022). These fires threaten human life and property, and create significant financial liability for utility companies, all while becoming more and more common as climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events and drought conditions. Both the technical portion of this project and the STS research aim at confronting the issue of electrically initiated forest fires. The capstone project offers a directly applicable technical solution - the Smart Forest Management system - while the analysis of the 2018 Paradise fire is presented in a paper with conclusive economic and legislative solutions.

The Smart Forest Management System focuses on developing an advanced fire detection system for electrical lines in forested environments. The system deploys small, specialized devices on each electrical pole, equipped with an IR flame detector and a temperature sensor to accurately monitor for signs of fire potentially caused by electrical lines. Utilizing LoRa communication, these devices transmit real-time data to a central home controller, where information aggregates and displays on a user-friendly front-end interface. The system’s weatherproof chassis ensures durability and reliability in challenging environmental conditions. Powered by a long-lasting battery and a solar-powered cell, each device is designed for minimal maintenance and optimal performance. Unlike conventional forest fire detection systems, this solution provides instantaneous readings directly from power lines, enabling rapid response and preventing widespread fire damage. By integrating these technologies, the system significantly enhances fire monitoring capabilities in remote and high-risk areas.

An analysis the Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) Paradise Fire case of 2018 investigates how the distribution of power lines in the U.S. has been undermined to accommodate its growing need for power, the consequences of which continue to alarm the American populus. Using Thomas Hughes’s theory of technological momentum and the central research question ‘how did PG&E’s early infrastructure decisions create systemic constraints that made adaptation to evolving environmental risks increasingly difficult?’, the paper studies how PG&E’s reliance on aging transmission infrastructure resulted in sustained vulnerabilities in fire-prone regions. A connection between California environmental issues, legislation, bad economic priorities within PG&E's company strategy, and finally the design failure is established. By highlighting the intersection of economic strategy, regulatory frameworks, and environmental change, this study contributes to Science and Technology Studies (STS) by demonstrating how infrastructure systems resist necessary transformations. The findings hold broader significance for engineering and public policy, underscoring the risks of technological inertia and the need for more adaptive governance in a time of increasing climate volatility.

It should first be noted that this project was inspired by our Capstone group’s proximity to the forest fires, some members who have been directly affected by them and another who serves in a fire department. For all of us the project was personal, and therefore the research and the technical work were intertwined and worked towards the same goal. Working on both projects at once was especially important in their early stages, as we came up with a design that could have prevented the Paradise fire. For example, the geographical location of the Paradise fire, as well as others that came up in the research, led us to design a system that could be set up in hard-to-reach places and have little need for maintenance. For this reason, a solar panel was added to the system and the nodes communicated through each other, rather than connecting to a cell-tower. Later, as both projects developed independently, they worked off of each other, and as the designer and researcher, I found myself encouraged to work harder and create a more viable product as I learned of the immediate significance of the issue. Without the research project developing alongside the technical, our group would not have worked so diligently at testing and redeveloping our product to mitigate false positives, communication ‘send’ or ‘receive’ failures, or battery drainage.

School of Engineering and Applied Science

Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering

Technical Advisor: Keith Williams

STS Advisor: Bryn Seabrook

Technical Team Members: Nathan Yu, Sean Mahoney, Johnathan Mirkovich