Mexico, USA: A 30-second earthquake warning gives a Menlo Park fire station a chance to protect itself
By Tekla S. Perry
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An earthquake early warning system, recently installed in the newly remodeled fire station, had been triggered by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake detected some 64 kilometers away, in Bodega Bay, Calif. The system sprang into action, opening doors, turning on emergency lights, and shutting off gas burners as it counted down to the imminent arrival of the shockwaves.
But the firefighters and guests inside the station did not duck and cover; instead, they admired the technology in action, for this was a scheduled test of the latest installation of SkyAlert’s IoT-connected earthquake warning system.
“We can distribute an earthquake warning massively and instantaneously,” said SkyAlert founder and CEO Alejandro Cantu. “We provide an audible warning—so people know it is coming, how strong it will be, and how much time they have, so they can protect themselves.
“We can also protect assets—turn off gas valves, turn off machinery—things that would be hard to do in that situation by hand.”
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SkyAlert’s technology has been evolving for years in Mexico. Over time, the company extended what was initially a pager-based emergency alert system to a comprehensive earthquake alert system that includes a proprietary network of seismic sensors. Recently, Cantu’s efforts got the attention of researchers and investors in the U.S.—and an opportunity to give SkyAlert’s IoT technology far broader reach. It has been integrated with the U.S. Geographical Service’s (USGS’s) ShakeAlert, an earthquake warning system on the West Coast of the United States that started making its alerts available for public distribution in some areas late last year.
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