As the BC Wildfire Service expands its night-time firefighting helicopter fleet, Transport Canada has also given another angle of high-tech attack a go-ahead.
In a video shared to social media, BCWS announced that it was expanding its night-time capacity from two helicopters up to four, split between smaller scout helicopters carrying officers with night-vision equipment and larger ones with belly tanks for water.
The helicopter group completed night-flying training over June 17 to 19 in Penticton before moving on to their regular contracts throughout the province where they will work other resources.
"We start our days when there is still plenty of light in the sky, and we're able to do get to the incident to do a proper change-over with the helico or bird-dog ,"Penticton-based Topflight pilot Jason Neary said in the video. "We're able to get a good idea of what's going on in the ground, what's going on with the fire, and the objectives we have for the night.
In addition to expanding the fleet with additional helicopters, BCWS has also trained additional officers for night-flights to support expanded operations.
Topflight in Penticton has been training crews that have worked on wildfires across the province for years, and their evening flights are quite common.
"As this program expands, you may notice or hear more helicopters flying at night this summer, it鈥檚 all part of improving wildfire response and keeping communities safe," said BCWS.
In addition to the expansion of the government's firefighting resources, the private sector is also moving forward with their own innovations.
FireSwarm Solutions, a company based out of Squamish, was recently granted authorization through their partner 3 Points in Space to conduct special operations with their drones in fighting wildfires.
"With advancements in technology, remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS), known as drones, have become valuable tools in wildfire operations and mitigation efforts," Transport Canada said. "Transport Canada鈥檚 Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) RPAS process can provide permission to operate a drone for a specific purpose under special conditions."
FireSwarm, according to their website, currently uses autonomous heavy-lift drones capable of carrying 350kg of water at a time. The drones were developed in partnership with ACC Innovations.
The goal is to provide aerial fire suppression resources in conditions such as low-visibility, at night, or in locations or situations that would otherwise be unsafe for human pilots.
In their emailed statement, Transport Canada noted that it remains illegal for any unauthorized individuals to operate aircraft or drones within 9.3 km of any wildfire.
The airspace around any wildfires is designated as restricted under Canadian Aviation Regulations and limited to specialty air services responding to the blaze.
Unauthorized drone usage can ground firefighting aircraft due to the risk of striking the vehicle, which can directly impact firefighting efforts. Unauthorized drone usage near a wildfire comes with criminal fines and potential jail time.
