In addition to the satellite technology, Shanahan
is allowing the National Guard to use its
unmanned drones on any CalFire operation
through year’s end. Previously, state officials had
to get separate Defense Department approval
each time they wanted to use the drones, though
they’ve been used periodically since 2013.
“Now they’re pretty much integrated into our
standard operating procedure for response
because they’re so useful both for fire mapping
and for damage assessment,” Baldwin said.
The individual authorizations sometimes took
several days, said Rhys Williams, Newsom’s
senior adviser on emergency preparedness
and management.
“It’s really important since it’s real time eyes in
the sky,” Williams said.
The drones can stay aloft for about 22 hours,
compared to four or five hours for a manned
aircraft, Baldwin said. They can peer through
clouds, smoke and darkness with radar,
cameras, infrared vision and other so-called
multispectral sensors.
Moreover, they can instantly link the images to
maps and relay the information to fire managers
as they make decisions on ordering evacuations
or moving resources.
They can not only map the flames but help
officials more quickly determine which
homes and structures have been damaged
or destroyed, something that used to require
officials to drive through neighborhoods: “We’re
able to do it in a matter of hours or days, instead
of days or weeks,” Baldwin said, speeding up
disaster funding requests.