Local vintners test autonomous wildfire suppression system
Dalla Valle Vineyards in Napa Valley is one of two North Coast vintners working with an Israeli company to develop a system that would automatically snuff out flames and fires sparked by blowing embers.
Dalla Valle and Calligraphy Wines in Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley are set to become the first U.S. pilot sites for design of FireDome’s two-layer system inspired by Israel’s autonomous missile and projectile defense platforms. The first systems are set to roll out next year.
The first layer is detection of approaching flames then directing the mechanical launch 12-gallon capsules of what’s said to be an environmentally friendly fire retardant into the path of the blaze. The second layer are cameras and artificial intelligence system that see airborne embers that get through and suppresses spot fires.
Though no prototype has been installed on-site yet, Dalla Valle is providing feedback on the system’s design based on its vineyard operations and layout. The 26-acre property is in a high-risk area on a private road off Silverado Trail on the eastern slope of the valley between Yountville and St. Helena.
It has so far been spared from the blazes that ravaged parts of Napa County in 2017 and 2020. But the winery had to evacuate during the 2017 Atlas Fire, which came dangerously close to the property, according to Maya Dalla Valle, second-generation winemaker for the 3,000-case-a-year family-owned vintner.
“Fire safety is top of mind,“ she said.
While the 20 acres of vines themselves acts as a natural fire break, the steep terrain behind the property makes it difficult to create additional defensible space. The winery has worked with the local Fire Safe Councils on risk assessments and maintains its own brush clearing efforts.
A key consideration is the potential to share the FireDome system with neighboring properties, which could help offset the cost — not yet disclosed — through economies of scale and potential insurance savings. But that’s not a determining factor for going forward, Dalla Valle said. The winery’s insurance premiums have already doubled in recent years due to the fire risk.
“If it can be a benefit for our neighborhood, I can certainly see the benefit from that,” Dalla Valle said.
Depending on the topography, the early designs of one launcher can cover 50 to 100 acres, with plans to expand that to a 1-mile radius or a few hundred acres, FireDome told news outlet TechCrunch.
Dalla Valle has also had to contend with extended public safety planned power outages, relying on a generator during critical harvest periods.
FireDome launched early last year with a $1.5 million grant from Israeli Innovation Authority for research and development plus guidance from Pini Yungman, an early developer of the country’s Iron Dome and David’s Sling autonomous defense systems, according to TechCrunch.
Source: https://www.northbaybusinessjournal.com/article/business/napa-sonoma-firedome-wildfire-wine/