The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate, along with the U.S. Fire Administration, recently provided the four major counties in Hawaii with a fire-sensing technology called the N5 Shield sensor program, which offers early warning of wildfires.

Each county received 20 sensors last month that sample the air and use advanced ground-based technology, including satellite imagery, environmental data and artificial intelligence, to detect fires in their earliest stages.

As soon as a fire is detected, the N5 Shield sends emergency notifications via text and email to registered stakeholders. Additionally, the sensors monitor smoke and air quality, issuing alerts to help keep vulnerable populations safe.

Maui’s 20 sensor systems were divided into stationary and mobile units: 16 N5 Shield sensors were attached to utility poles in West and South Maui, with permission from Hawaiian Electric Co., and four mobile sensors are stationed in strategic locations to monitor conditions at and around existing fires, such as a brush fire that is under control but not yet fully extinguished.

All the sensors across all four counties were installed and operational by mid-July.

Jeffrey Giesea, assistant chief for support services with the Maui Fire Department, explained that while the sensors are similar to smoke detectors found in homes, they are far more advanced and are positioned outdoors to detect fires before they become visible to the public.

The N5 Shield sensor program can detect ignition within 5 minutes, even when the fire is just a few square meters in size.

“It will hopefully give us early warning in case there’s a flare-up and so our personnel can get out there with a little head start over what would be the case if we had to rely on somebody calling 911,” Giesea said. “That’ll be most valuable for fires in areas that aren’t immediately adjacent to where folks live.”

The sensors continuously gather data on air quality, temperature, humidity, chemical levels and more, depending on the specific sensor. The data gets transmitted in real time to a centralized system for remote monitoring and analysis, and is processed by advanced algorithms and AI to identify patterns and anomalies, enabling early detection of potential threats.

When the system detects an abnormal condition, it generates alerts that are sent to emergency response teams, first responders, city officials or system administrators.

Key fire department personnel receive real-time alerts when the sensors detect anomalies consistent with fire. The system uses machine learning to improve its ability to detect fires early and reduce the occurrence of false alarms.

“This technology, coupled with the AlertWest fire detection camera system put in place by HECO, provides the County of Maui with cutting-edge, early fire- detection capability,” MFD Chief Brad Ventura said in a statement. “Both systems are in their infancy, so we look forward to seeing their impact on fire control operations, and determining how best to enhance their value in the years to come.”