that started in Stanislaus National
Forest in California and became
the fourth-largest in California’s
history] was the first time we
ever used an unmanned aircraft
for firefighting. We can use the
aircraft exactly as we do overseas
in military ops, checking out
for people and hotspots.”
The significant advantage offered
by the RPAS is to provide FMV
in real time, providing the aerial
picture to the incident commander
(IC) as soon as the drone is over
the fire. The IC then organises
the ground and air assets,
observing the live stream and
monitoring critical infrastructure.“When an IC lost contact with
six firefighters under the heavy
smoke – just weeks after six had
lost their lives in a similar blaze- he came to us,” Hessheimer
added. “After providing the 163rd
with their last known location,
the MQ-1 was overhead and had
located them within minutes.”
For firefighting, the imagery can
be data-linked down into the 163rd
server, which has an accredited
internet service provider, to
allow the video to be streamed
by anyone’s smart phone. “It is
critical in getting information to
the decision-makers in a timely
manner while the fires are burning.”
Reaper future
Much bureaucracy must be
overcome if the Reaper is to
be used for firefighting. First
there is a need for a certificate
of authorisation to fly in civilian
airspace, usually above 18,000ft
(5,486m). Then there is a
so-called partner of inducement
memorandum (PIM) which has
to be authorised through the US
Department of Defence (DoD) in
Washington DC. This tells the
appropriate person exactly what
the RPAS will look at, what will
happen with the video and how
long it will be kept – all in the
name of intelligence oversight.Unfortunately, the RPAS cannot
cross from one operation to
another. Hessheimer explained
how an MQ-1 was flown directly
over a conflagration additional to
its original target during the 2013
Rim Fire. The operators were
asked to monitor the perimeters
of the extra blaze, but the PIM
covered the initial fire only and
the RPAS mission could not be
expanded. Gaining DoD approval
took three days. As Hessheimer
said: “This is far too long for the IC
who is controlling that fire. I hope
to get that time reduced to have
an immediate response, not just to
fires but earthquakes and floods.”VSVS
w i l d fi r e s
http://www.airforcesmonthly.com #362 MAY 2018 // 35Airforces
Intelligence‘In association with ....’