The City of Rancho Cucamonga and the Rancho Cucamonga Fire Protection District have unveiled California’s first community deployment of the FIREBird early heat-detection wildfire system, marking a major step forward in local wildfire response.
Developed by Lindsey FireSense LLC, based in Azusa, California, the system was presented during a public event held by the Rancho Cucamonga City Council/Fire Board on Monday, July 20, 2026, at Banyan Fire Station.
FIREBird is designed to reduce the time between ignition and first response, a critical window that fire officials say can determine whether a wildfire remains contained or becomes catastrophic.
“The possibilities of emerging technology in early wildfire detection today become an on-the-ground reality,” said Jack McCall, CEO of Lindsey FireSense, LLC, creator of the FIREBird system. “The deployment of FIREBird in the City of Rancho Cucamonga ushers in a new era of how local jurisdictions can more rapidly respond to wildfires and prevent greater destruction and loss of life.”
“The FIREBird system has the potential to save lives and property,” said Mike McCliman, fire chief for the City of Rancho Cucamonga. “Early detection allows local jurisdictions to effectively respond to wildfires at their earliest stage, with a goal to minimize fire spread and decrease the overall number of resources committed to an incident.”
The heat-detection system gives first responders an alternative to conventional smoke-camera systems by identifying fires based on thermal signatures. According to the company, FIREBird units can detect wildfires as small as 5 by 5 feet within minutes of ignition, supporting rapid detection, reporting, and response across the wildland-urban interface.
The units are connected with FirstNet, Built with AT&T, the nationwide broadband communications platform dedicated to public safety and first responders.
The Rancho Cucamonga project is the first state-funded FIREBird installation in California and is supported through state budget appropriation SB 178. The city’s northern boundary sits along the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, where residential neighborhoods meet wildland terrain in an area designated as a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone.
Each self-contained FIREBird unit combines wildfire-specific thermal sensors, multiple cameras, an on-board weather station, and AI-based processing to detect small fires from up to half a mile away, day or night and in conditions including wind, cloud cover, or fog. When a fire is detected, the system automatically alerts designated first responders with the fire’s location, live photos, and on-site weather conditions. The Rancho Cucamonga deployment has also been integrated directly into the city’s existing dispatch system.
Officials said the deployment demonstrates how early wildfire detection technology can help communities in high-risk areas improve situational awareness, accelerate emergency response, and reduce potential damage to homes, infrastructure, and lives.
