Dr. Kerry McBee spent nearly two decades investigating fires and failures involving electrical systems. Now, the Fresno State associate professor of electrical and computer engineering has patented a monitoring system to identify power-line hazards before they spark wildfires.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issued a patent for McBee’s Overhead Fire Prevention System in July. The Real-Time Overhead Autonomous Monitoring System, or ROAM System, continuously monitors overhead electrical equipment and is designed to detect deteriorating power lines and other hazards weeks or even months before they could cause a fire or power outage.
“Right now, much of what a utility does is reactive,” McBee said. “This would be a proactive prevention system because it could prevent the fire from ever occurring.”
Before joining Fresno State, McBee spent 17 years in the electrical and fire industry. As a forensic engineer and certified fire and explosion investigator, he investigated more than 1,500 fires involving electrical systems and led major investigations across 10 states.
That experience led him to recognize a gap in how power lines are monitored.
“Utilities monitor the electrical attributes, but they don’t necessarily monitor the physical condition of the system,” McBee said. “That made me wonder whether we could build a system that identifies physical deficiencies before they lead to a failure.”
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