About the Project
Built by the Community,
for the Community
A community-driven early wildfire detection network. Put the tools for early detection in the hands of the people who are already out there.
A Different Kind of Watch
Traditional fire detection systems are built top-down — government agencies purchase expensive equipment and wait for a signal. That's important. But it's not sufficient for a state as vast and varied as Utah.
There are gaps. There are ridges no tower reaches. There are communities in the wildland-urban interface where the first responder is always a neighbor.
Uinta Watch fills those gaps with community technology — open, redundant, and human. When a sensor detects abnormal heat, it notifies the nearest neighbor, the local fire department, and the volunteer network at the same time.
Open Source, Open Access
Every design we publish is open source. Every sensor node can be repaired and modified by anyone. We don't believe in proprietary lock-in for public safety infrastructure.
Uinta Watch isn't dependent on any single organization, grant cycle, or vendor. It belongs to Utah.
Technical Approach
Every sensor node has a LoRa radio and acts as both a sensing unit and a relay. A handful of gateway nodes bridge to the internet. The mesh is fully autonomous.
Cost Per Node
Why It Matters
The ash remains long after the flames die.
Post-fire flooding, contaminated water supplies, displaced families.
The consequences of uncaught fires last for years.
The Phased Plan
Phase 1
Pilot
Demonstrate feasibility in one area.
5-10 sensor nodes + 1 gateway
~$1,000-1,500
Phase 2
Community
Build software dashboard. Register users.
20-50 sensor nodes, 3-5 gateways
~$4,000-7,000
Phase 3
County
Full dashboard, alert integrations, mobile app.
100-300 nodes, 10-20 gateways
~$15,000-30,000
Phase 4
Regional
Partner with local fire departments.
Multi-county coverage
Grant-dependent