News from the Oregon Hazards Lab

The quarterly OHAZ newsletter provides updates about new wildfire camera deployments, the buildout of the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, and improvements to the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System.

The University of Oregon’s Oregon Hazards Lab’s Western Wildfire Camera Network is the largest of its kind, and helps firefighters detect fires early. But they are about more than just getting a first look at blazes.

Wildland firefighters in the western United States will now have the world’s largest public-facing network of wildfire detection cameras at their disposal. The Oregon Hazards Lab has integrated its camera network with those operated by the University of California, San Diego, and the University of Nevada, Reno under a new platform called ALERTWest.

The Bureau of Land Management Lakeview District and its partners at the Oregon Hazards Lab at the University of Oregon have installed another new wildfire detection camera in Southeastern Oregon. The Green Mountain camera is part of a 1,000-plus-camera network hosted on the ALERTWest platform.

The ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System can detect earthquakes so quickly that alerts can be delivered to schools before they feel shaking. ShakeAlert can be integrated into school paging systems to deliver life-saving alerts to students and teachers. Attend this free virtual workshop to learn how ShakeAlert can be used in your school.

March 11 marks three years since the ShakeAlert® Earthquake Early Warning System went live in Oregon. ShakeAlert can save lives and reduce injuries by giving people seconds to take protective action, such as Drop, Cover and Hold On, or to move away from hazardous areas if they feel shaking or get an alert.