Fire & Smoke Detection
See fire the moment it starts — not after smoke travels to a sensor and triggers an alert.
A traditional detector waits for smoke to reach it. Your cameras can see the fire the moment it starts. Clear Watch Fire & Smoke Detection recognizes flames and thick smoke on camera — and escalates in seconds.
What It Does
Fire & Smoke Detection identifies flames and thick smoke directly from the video feed, raising an alert the moment they become visible — without waiting for heat or particles to physically reach a sensor. In large indoor spaces and outdoor yards, that difference is measured in minutes: a fire in a high-ceiling warehouse, a loading dock, a trash enclosure, or a parking structure can grow substantially before a conventional detector responds. Visual detection closes that gap, and a fire situation that spreads quickly gets an alert that spreads faster.
The system is built to stay quiet until it matters. Monitored zones and sensitivity are configured per camera, and a filtering process prevents steam, dust, and reflected light from triggering events — so an alert means fire, not a kitchen vent or a sunset on glass. Because detection is visual, it also works where wiring sensors is impractical: construction sites, lumber yards, remote structures, and temporary facilities.
An enhanced version is available through Clear Watch's Hybrid AI Boost subscription, adding contextual scene understanding and finer detail recognition — with expanded filtering of steam, dust, headlights, and reflected sunlight — for higher accuracy in visually complex indoor and outdoor scenes.
Who Uses It
Early Warning Gives You the Time to Evacuate.
Evacuating residents who can't self-evacuate takes time you only get from early warning. Visual detection in parking structures, loading areas, courtyards, and mechanical spaces adds critical lead time where sensor coverage is thin.
- Covers courtyards, parking structures, and mechanical spaces where sensors don't reach
- Adds minutes of lead time for residents who need assistance evacuating
- Verified alerts mean staff mobilize for real events — not false alarms
Fire Starts Where Sprinklers Don't Reach.
Trash enclosures, laundry exhaust areas, pool equipment rooms, and parking garages are classic hotel fire origins — all outside sprinkler-head sightlines. Camera-based detection covers them with hardware already on the wall.
- Detects fire in trash enclosures, laundry exhaust areas, and pool equipment rooms
- Covers parking garages and back-of-house areas outside sprinkler sightlines
- Uses cameras already installed on the property — no new hardware required
In High Ceilings, Smoke Rises Before Detectors Can Respond.
In high-ceiling spaces, smoke stratifies and cools before it reaches ceiling detectors. Seeing the flame or smoke column at floor level cuts detection time dramatically — often the difference between an extinguisher and a total loss.
- Detects flames and smoke at floor level before they reach ceiling sensors
- Critical in warehouses, loading docks, and high-bay manufacturing spaces
- Faster detection means faster suppression — and smaller losses
City Cameras Become a Fire-Watch Network.
Transfer stations, fleet yards, parks, and encampment-adjacent areas see fires that no wired detector covers. With Clear Watch, existing city cameras become a fire-watch network with verified dispatch behind it.
- Covers transfer stations, fleet yards, and encampment-adjacent areas
- No wired detector infrastructure required — works with existing cameras
- Verified dispatch means responders roll on confirmed incidents, not bare signals
Catch It Small — Before the Campus Is Disrupted.
Dumpster fires, mulch beds, athletic storage, and after-hours arson are detected while still small — with operators confirming on live video before the campus is disrupted or evacuated unnecessarily.
- Detects dumpster fires, mulch bed fires, and athletic storage fires early
- Catches after-hours arson before it spreads to occupied buildings
- Live operator verification before any campus disruption or evacuation
Fire Watch From Day One. No Wiring Required.
Temporary sites rarely have working fire alarm coverage, yet hold fuel, lumber, and heavy equipment. Visual detection provides fire watch from day one — no wiring, no infrastructure, no waiting.
- Provides fire watch on temporary sites with no traditional alarm coverage
- Covers fuel storage, lumber yards, and equipment areas at high risk
- No wiring or permanent infrastructure required — operational from day one
How It Works
Detection
Flames or thick smoke are detected and the event streams instantly to Clear Watch's 24/7 monitoring operators.
Detection
Flames or thick smoke are detected and the event streams instantly to Clear Watch's 24/7 monitoring operators.
Verify
Operators verify it on live video — real fire, not steam or glare.
Verify
Operators verify it on live video — real fire, not steam or glare.
Informed Response
Responders roll on a verified incident with live visual intelligence about size and location — not a bare alarm signal.
Alert & Dispatch
On-site personnel are alerted and the fire department is dispatched, including direct digital 911 delivery to more than 700 PSAPs.
Alert & Dispatch
On-site personnel are alerted and the fire department is dispatched, including direct digital 911 delivery to more than 700 PSAPs.
Informed Response
Responders roll on a verified incident with live visual intelligence about size and location — not a bare alarm signal.
FAQs
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No — it complements code-required fire alarm systems. Its value is speed and coverage: it sees fire visually the moment flames or thick smoke appear, without waiting for heat or particles to reach a sensor, and it covers outdoor and large-volume spaces conventional detectors handle poorly.
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A filtering process is applied specifically so steam, dust, and reflected light don't trigger events, with sensitivity configurable per zone. Every alert is also verified by a live Clear Watch operator on video before escalation — so the fire department is only dispatched to real fires.
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It depends on the space, but the principle is physical: a camera sees flames and smoke the moment they're visible, while heat and particles take time to travel to a sensor — longest in high-ceiling and outdoor spaces. In exactly the environments where conventional detectors are slowest, visual detection gains the most time.
Save Seconds and Get Ahead of the Fire
GET STARTED
When seconds matter, verified visual detection is the difference between a fast response and a costly one. Contact Clear Watch to add fire and smoke detection to your monitoring package.