The short version
- An automatic system checks for fires every minute. If it isn't built carefully, the Stop you just pressed gets undone on the next check.
- FireShield records which fire you stopped it for, so your STOP holds for that fire.
- It applies to that fire only. A different fire is still treated normally and is designed to start the system.
- If that fire gets one mile closer, or reaches half the distance, whichever comes first, your Stop ends and the system starts.
- If the fire just sits nearby, your STOP ends after twenty-four hours.
An automatic wildfire system checks for fires every minute. If a fire is inside your activation distance (how close a fire has to get before the system starts on its own), it starts.
Say the system starts because a fire came within your activation distance, but you can see it isn't heading your way. You press Stop in the app, and the valves close.
A minute later the system checks again. The fire is still inside your distance, so on many systems it starts again.
Why a simple snooze isn't enough
A simple fix is a snooze that ignores all fires for an hour. The problem is that it also ignores a new fire that starts close to your house during that hour.
FireShield remembers which fire you stopped it for, how far away it was, and when. Your Stop applies to that fire only.
Any other fire is still handled normally.
Two ways your Stop ends
Your Stop ends on its own in two ways:
- The fire comes closer. If it gets one mile closer, or reaches half the distance, whichever happens first, the system starts again. For example, if you stopped it at 5.8 miles, it starts again at 4.8 miles.
- Twenty-four hours pass. If the fire stays nearby, your Stop ends after a day.
You don't have to remember to turn anything back on.
If the fire data changes
Fire data can change from minute to minute.
Your Stop stays in place through those changes. It ends only when that fire comes closer or the twenty-four hours run out.
If a system won't stay stopped, the STOP button doesn't really give you control.
Stop, mute and schedule
These are easy to mix up:
- Stop stops the system for this fire, right now. It lasts up to twenty-four hours and ends early if the fire comes closer.
- Mute sets one fire aside for longer. It ends if that fire comes closer.
- Schedule works the other way: it starts the system at a time you choose.
What to ask
- If I stop an automatic activation, what keeps it from starting again a minute later?
- Does stopping one fire still leave me protected against a different one?
- What brings the system back if the fire I stopped it for starts moving toward me?
- Do I have to remember to turn it back on?
The last one matters most. During an evacuation, you shouldn't have to remember anything.