Colorado lawmakers are hoping to incorporate artificial intelligence technology into the state’s wildfire response strategies with a pair of bills that would invest state dollars into fire mitigation detection, prevention, and mitigation software. 

Senate Bill 11, sponsored by Sen. Lindsey Daugherty, D-Arvada, and Reps. Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland, and Kyle Brown, D-Louisville, requires the state’s Division of Fire Prevention and Control to establish a contract with a company that produces AI-powered wildfire detection cameras. 

The bill also establishes the Front Line Innovation and Response Efficiency (FIRE) cash fund within the state treasury, using resources from the state-owned real property fund to support its implementation.

“The point is early detection, and I would say it’s just another tool in the toolbox,” said Daugherty. “It would be nice not to have to rely on hikers or someone walking by to make the call.”

The bill requests up to $6 million over the course of three years, a figure Daugherty acknowledges could be a challenge given the state’s current budget deficit. To avoid having to tap into General Fund money, the bill’s sponsors had to get creative. Using money from the real property fund a cost cost-effective solution, said Daugherty.

“Every time there is an executive order issued for fire response, that money is taken from the TABOR reserve and must be backfilled by the General Assembly,” she explained. “Since 2018, in addition to local entity costs, Colorado has designated over $70 million of General Funds through executive orders for fire response efforts. That’s $70 million in TABOR reserves that we’ve had to replenish. While there’s no way to predict an exact number of fires that will start or will cause damage to help quantify an ROI, we can look at trends and speak with wildfire experts in Colorado that tell us fires are no longer a seasonal issue, and we need to be prepared.”

Regardless of the cost, Daugherty believes the cameras are well worth the investment, considering how much property damage wildfires can cause. The 2021 Marshall Fire, for example, is estimated to have caused over $2 billion in damage. The Eaton and Palisades fires in California have caused between $250 and $275 billion so far, making them the costliest natural disaster in American history. 

“Look at what California is facing and how many structures have been lost. It’s a massive amount of money,” said Daugherty. “So when you actually have the cost-benefit analysis, I think it totally makes sense.”

Wildfires are also one of the biggest factors behind rising home insurance costs, but their economic impact is nothing compared to the loss of life and belongings they can cause. 

“It’s just so sad, and I think that we need to continue using technology to our advantage and ensuring that we’re recognizing that these problems are not going to get better, but we can have better tools and use technology and make sure that we’re trying to do the best we can,” Daugherty said. 

Daugherty is well aware that artificial intelligence can be a slippery slope. Last session, she sponsored a bill adding biometric data protections to the Colorado Privacy Act, and she said she consulted with the Attorney General’s Office to ensure this bill wouldn’t impinge upon Coloradan’s privacy.

“I signed on to this bill because I recognize the importance of mitigating wildfire risks for folks in a climate that is ripe for wildfires all year round, but I also made sure to do my due diligence to ensure that there were no privacy concerns because that’s really important to me when we’re talking about AI technology,” she said, adding that the camera footage is pixelated so faces are not clearly visible.

A second proposed measure, Senate Bill 22, would establish a partnership between the state and Lockheed Martin to utilize the defense manufacturer’s wildfire mitigation and prediction artificial intelligence software. This technology includes four tools: software to classify vegetation and wildlife fuel by detecting the dryness of brush, grass, and soil; assess the ignition potential of lightning strikes; map the perimeter of an ongoing fire; and make predictions of where a fire may spread. 

According to sponsor Sen. Mark Baisley, R-Roxborough Park, the U.S. Forest Service has expressed interest in contracting with Lockheed Martin to use the technology nationwide, but that contract wouldn’t begin until at least next year. In the meantime, Baisley said, the state should invest in the technology as soon as possible. 

“I think it’s a very worthy investment for Colorado,” he said.  

The bill requests a $7.5 million one-time appropriation from the Division of Fire Prevention and Control, which Baisley argues is a small price to pay considering that the state has spent nearly $200 million on wildfire mitigation and preparedness in the past five years. 

“The argument here is that this is an ROI thing,” he said. “Let’s say we’re spending $7.5 million, but we save a $100 million fire from happening. We’re just conjecturing, but I think it’s a really sound argument when we look at the Marshall Fire or the Hayman Fire, or any of those fires; if we could have caught them early, we would’ve saved an awful lot of money.”

Lockheed Martin’s Colorado roots should make the deal even more appealing to the legislature, Baisley said. 

“This is a Colorado-based company, and I think we can support them in a way that is kind of a return to them for trying to help us protect ourselves,” he said. “I want to reward them for that kind of support that we will certainly benefit from. I wouldn’t be as excited if it were a California company, but it’s a Colorado-based company and I think we ought to support them as they support us.”

The bill is also sponsored by Sen. Janice Marchman, D-Loveland, and Rep. Ron Weinberg, R-Loveland. 

Senate Bill 11 will be heard by the Senate Transportation & Energy Committee on Feb. 5, and Senate Bill 22 will be heard by the same committee on Jan. 29.