Hawaiian Electric announced the installation of video cameras with artificial intelligence technology, which will detect smoke and other early signs of fire near the company’s equipment. 

What You Need To Know

  • HECO signed a 5-year contract with California-based ALERTWest, which will install, maintain, and monitor the cameras

  • The electric company plans to establish 78 stations across Maui, Oahu, Hawaii Island, Molokai and Lanai

  • Half of the cost of the $14 million project will be covered by federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act

  • HECO hopes the cameras will reduce the risk of fires associated with company equipment

HECO signed a 5-year contract with California-based ALERTWest, which will install, maintain, and monitor the cameras, according to a news release.  

ALERTWest installed the first camera in Lahaina. HECO plans to establish 78 stations across Maui, Oahu, Hawaii Island, Molokai and Lanai. Half of the video cameras will be installed by Sept. 2024, with the remainder expected to be installed by the first half of 2025. 

Each station will have two cameras, providing a 360-degree sweep of their surroundings every two minutes. The AI-system detects changes from previous images and highlights them with a red rectangle on the screen. The ALERTWest Operations Center Staff reviews the camera images before notifying HECO and emergency response agencies. 

The public will also have access to the camera’s live feeds.

Half of the cost of the $14 million project will be covered by federal funds from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. 

With wildfires becoming more severe with climate change, and considering the Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires on Maui, HECO hopes the cameras will reduce the risk of fires associated with company equipment. 

“We are continuing to take action to address the growing risks from wildfires across our service territory using a variety of technologies and methods,” said Jim Alberts, HECO senior vice president and chief operations officer, in a statement. “Installing publicly viewable AI-assisted video cameras in elevated fire risk areas will enable the company, fire agencies, and emergency operations centers the ability to identify potential wildfires early and respond quickly.”

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