Thermal Sensor Dozer Installation

NASA Wildland Fires Program science integration manager Jennifer Fowler demonstrates how a small, low-cost thermal sensor is integrated into a fire dozer belonging to the Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC). An LED light on the dashboard is connected to a thermal sensor mounted in the window of the dozer, which turns the light on when the radiant heat from a nearby fire reaches a dangerous threshold. FireSense scientists have been working with the AFC to develop and install these thermal sensors onto these dozers, which they showcased during a stakeholder event on April 23-24, 2026 at the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center in Andalusia, Alabama.