Gov. Hobbs, forest and fire officials hold ribbon cutting for new dispatch and incident command center

PHOENIX — The ribbon-cutting for a new Department of Forestry and Fire Management (DFFM) dispatch and incident and command center happened on Friday morning.

Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, along with DFFM officials, attended the ribbon-cutting.

Officials gave an update on the upcoming wildfire season and unveiled an initiative to enhance wildfire prevention and safety efforts: AI-powered wildfire detection technology.

The new project, AZFIRECAM, uses 360-degree view cameras to detect smoke and notify the Arizona Dispatch Center. According to Hobbs, this will allow for faster response times.

“Every minute and every second counts when a wildfire breaks out,” said Governor Katie Hobbs. “We are leveraging emerging technologies and staying ahead of the curve to keep people safe and mitigate the threat of wildfires, while making it easier for our first responders to do their jobs. This technology is a generational leap in how we protect our communities, and I am proud to invest in the future of public safety.”

Seven wildfire detection cameras across the state are positioned at the following locations:

• Sawmill, north end of the Hualapai Mountains 
• Blake Ranch, Mohave County
• Wittmann, western Maricopa County 
• Dudleyville, Pinal County 
• Foreman Wash, Tucson-area
• Suffering Gulch, northeast of the Oracle Junction, Pinal County
• Chiricahua, south of the Dragoons

The announcement and ribbon cutting took place near I-17 and West Pinnacle Peak Road around 9:30 a.m.

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