GPS and Wildfires

If you live in an area of the country where wildfires are common, then you know jut how important it is to prevent them. Sometimes, they can start on their own due to high desert temperatures. Whatever the cause of a wildfire, the important thing is to respond as quickly as possible to minimize devastation and risk to homes that might be in the fire’s path. To date, there have been nineteen fires in Arizona alone from April 21st – June 26th. Currently, firefighters rely on tree trimming to help them access areas that have caught on fire. It thins out the forest and allows firefighters easier access to the area that is impacted so they can begin their work.

CC Image courtesy of USFWS/Southeast via Flickr

Forests in areas prone to wildfires are also thinned out as a preventative measure in this fashion. However, wildlife prevention experts say these efforts to thin the forest are slow and expensive – a lot of work goes into determining which trees and limbs need to be cut, and then comes the problem of directing tree trimmers to these precise locations.

Pat Graham, executive director of the Nature Conservancy of Arizona, said they’ve discovered a way to get the job done more quickly and efficiently – hand held GPS tracking devices. “By incorporating technology that didn’t even exist 10 to 15 years ago, like tablet computers, GPS and cameras, we’re able to program and keep track of the thinning that goes on,” Graham said.

How It Helps

They will begin using GPS tracking devices and cameras directly on the wood cutting equipment used during the thinning process. It will show the operator of the wood cutter precisely where they need to be, which leads to more being cleared in less time. It is Graham’s hope these GPS devices will be even more “smart” – he wants the GPS technology to be improved to the point wood cutters will be able to indicate exactly which trees have been cut in any given area, which cuts time even more substantially.

Saving Time and Lives

So just how fast does the addition of the GPS device to the wood cutter make the process? It is estimated that just one wood cutter using the GPS technology could cut 20 acres per day. This technology will not only help residents and wildlife, it will aid firefighters as well.

They have an incredibly dangerous job. In 2011, an Arizona wildfire made headlines and took the lives of 19 firefighters. Across the country in Florida, two rangers were killed during a forest fire there. Most of these fires take lives when it’s difficult for firefighters to determine the location of the fire within the dense forest, a problem eased by the trimming and cutting.

GPS in the Line of Fire

GPS tracking is being used in a different way altogether, although with the same end result of saving lives and land. The Florida Forest Service equips firefighters out in the field with GPS tracking devices so that they know exactly where they are at all times in order to keep them safe. The supervisor is able to set location points in their laptops, hand out the tracking devices to firefighters headed out to battle the blaze, and watch in real-time the location of each of them.

It allows them to provide assistance to those who become disoriented in thick fog as well. As the manager of the Orlando district of firefighters said, “It’s a tool in our toolbox to make sure we know where our firefighters are to the best of our ability.”

As new as the system is, they’re testing it out in order to see exactly what it can do. They want to make sure that the GPS devices are as accurate as they can possibly be. In these tests, data is sent to the supervisor’s laptop every 30 seconds which tracks their location, direction, speed, and unit identification.

In the future, they’re hoping to add other handy functions to the technology, like cameras. This will enable firefighters to transmit supervisors’ pictures of the fire they’re battling.

Already There in Oregon

Oregon is already on top of it, testing out new technology to aid firefighters in their quest to put out wildfires. The Oregon Department of Forestry is about to test out the use of small remote-controlled helicopters complete with video, infrared cameras, and a GPS location device to get a bird’s eye view from the fire itself before firefighters even leave the station.

“You are always looking for improved visibility of your fire,” said Brian Ballou, fire prevention specialist with the forestry service. “It just cuts down on your unknowns.”

It can only fly about 400 feet above the ground, the only clearance the Federal Aviation Administration would give it, and it can only fly for about 30 minutes with the limitations of the gas tanks. It measures about 5 feet long, and has one thing a manned aircraft doesn’t : the ability to fly in zero-visibility conditions. As Marty Rogers, director of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration said, “I tell people if the job is dull, dirty, or dangerous, it probably is good for unmanned aircraft.”

GPS technology is changing the game for firefighters all over the country who worry about wildfires. Thanks to all of these advancements, it will become easier as time passes.

GPS and Wildfires