The Summit County Sheriff’s Office is adding a new evacuation siren to its vehicles ahead of what authorities are expecting to be a long wildfire season.
Spokesperson Skyler Talbot said the siren will make the process of evacuating neighborhoods in the event of a wildfire smoother.
“I refer to it as an air raid siren, it's a siren that winds up and then winds down,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” April 6. “It's very loud, very distinct from the siren you might hear if we're going to an emergency out on the road.”
After the tone sounds, a recorded message alerts residents to exit the area by the safest route possible.
Along with the new siren, Talbot said the sheriff’s office and the Park City Fire District will use AI technology to detect wildfires this summer.
The agencies partnered to introduce a new AI smoke detection camera that Rocky Mountain Power installed on top of Lewis Peak. Dispatchers will monitor the camera and if smoke is detected an alert will be sent to the dispatch center and the fire district.
