In May 2007, America's wild fire season in Florida was off to an early and destructive start. And Firewatch, the U.S. Forest Service's practical and highly successful fire-fighting technology, was on the front lines helping to limit damage and save lives.Firewatch uses rehabilitated Army helicopters equipped with cutting-edge technology to fight wildfires. Firewatch has saved numerous lives and prevented millions of dollars in damage—making it one of the federal government's most successful and cost effective programs. This high-tech Department of Agriculture program relies on helicopters that are specially equipped to provide aerial support to local, state, and federal firefighters. Each helicopter is configured with electro-optical sensors that see through smoke and haze, infrared detectors to expose the smallest hotspots, and data links that relay real-time video and topographical maps to firefighters on the ground and in command and control centers.
DynCorp International supports the Firewatch program by providing pilots and global mapping technicians, and maintaining and fueling the helicopters. U.S. Forestry Service Air Tactical Officer Stan Kubota, who works closely with the Firewatch crew, points out: "It allows us to maneuver troops into place and get ahead of the fire and be in place to stop it." The combination of technologies used by the Firewatch program allows crews to "see hotspots the size of a quarter from 8,000 feet in the air," says John Browning, who works for DynCorp as the Firewatch program director.
By identifying the precise location of spot fires, the Firewatch crew can save firefighters on the ground hours—if not days—of searching for small fires which can turn into major disasters that endanger lives and property.
"In wind driven fires it is difficult for ground crews to see where the fire is burning. Aerial views are helpful, but when smoke is thick, only the infrared technology can identify exactly where the fire is," Kubota says. "We can detect spot fires before they threaten the lives of crews or become large fires."
The mapping ability Firewatch provides not only gives commanders crucial information, but gets it to them much faster than before, veteran Forest Service pilot Morgan Mills, who helped develop Firewatch, told the San Diego Union Tribune.
"To map a fire without airborne capability, you've got to walk a person around it," Mills told the paper. "That can take a long time—maybe hours, maybe half a day, maybe two days." Now that information can be in commanders' hands within 15 minutes, Mills said.
Once the small fires are located, precise GPS coordinates are then relayed to ground crews in real time. With Firewatch, instead of dousing acres of land with water or fire-retardant in hopes of suppressing a fire, crews can pinpoint exactly where the drop should be made, saving thousands of dollars and crucial time.
The annual fire season has started in Florida. It will work its way west and north, before coming down the west coast to end with the Southern California fires in late Fall. Firewatch helicopters and crews are in high demand. Last year, Firewatch logged 800 flight hours. "We get stretched pretty thin. People are realizing we have this capability and the need for our infrared and video downloading capability is a top request," said Browning. "Each region really needs its own helicopter."
In January, a Blue Ribbon Commission appointed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to study the state's current fire services concluded that new technologies such as those employed in the Firewatch program saved millions of dollars. "Fires are kept smaller and less destructive, which means significant cost savings to the state for fighting the fires and to residents for loss of life and property," the commission's 2008 report stated.
Firewatch is an example of a government-industry partnership that saves lives, saves money, and protects sensitive environments. It's the kind of "win-win" program that merits far closer attention—and even more support.
