Two dozen sensors placed around Sevier County aiming to detect wildfires earlier [Video]

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Each year, Sevier County deals with several wildfires in the Smoky Mountains.

“We’ve definitely seen many wildfires throughout our history, within Sevier County, all from small fires to large,” Sevier County EMA Director Joe Ayers said.

While firefighters get there as fast as they can, sometimes even a few extra minutes can stop a small wildfire from becoming a big problem.

“With all these events, we are trying to learn from each of them and find more technology to get better notified of these events and improve our response capabilities for these events,” Ayers said.

Currently, there are 25 N5Shield Sensors with 20 more on the way. These sensors monitor for early signs of wildfire by essentially sniffing the air around them.

“It’s monitoring the air quality, per say, every so many seconds, and it’s basically looking at the products of combustion that’s being released by …